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South Carolina Negligent Security Lawyer
Strong counsel if you are attacked on someone else’s property
Negligent security means that commercial and public property owners have a duty to protect customers and visitors to their site from violent assaults and criminal attacks that could have been anticipated. If you were attacked while trying to use an ATM, robbed while you were in a parking lot, threatened while you were in a hotel or apartment lobby or violated in some way, you may have the right to bring legal action against the owner of the premises where the assault occurred.
At McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, our South Carolina negligent security attorneys have the experience to hold property owners accountable. We have obtained millions in personal injury settlements with insurance companies and jury verdicts for our clients. We understand that property owners cannot pass the blame onto the criminal or the assailant. We hold property owners responsible when they fail to protect their customers and licensees.
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What is negligent security?
Negligent security refers to the legal concept that arises when a property owner fails to provide adequate security measures to protect individuals from foreseeable harm. It typically applies to cases where a person suffers an injury or loss due to criminal acts that could have been prevented with reasonable security measures. The more common claims we handle involve:
- Physical assaults
- Sexual assaults
- Shootings
- Robbery
- Burglary
Examples of negligent security measures may include inadequate lighting in parking lots, malfunctioning or nonexistent security cameras, lack of proper locks or alarm systems, insufficient security personnel, or a failure to address known security risks or criminal activities in the area.
If a victim successfully proves a case of negligent security, they may be entitled to compensation for their damages, including medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other related costs.
Where do attacks occur most often?
Your security can be violated at any commercial location, public site, or even private home. Property owners should make security part of their safety agenda. Often premises liability defendants will assert that they provided all the security they could. They may argue the victim should have been more careful. That’s why you need a South Carolina negligent security attorney who has the skill to properly prepare your case to secure the compensation you rightfully deserve. Hotels, parking lots, and apartment complexes are three of the most common places for assaults because access tends to be easy, security lax, and people use these places during the nighttime.
The most common places negligent security issues occur include:
- Bars and nightclubs. Issues with bars and nightclubs can include insufficient security, inadequate lighting, failure to control entrance and exit points, lack of surveillance, and failure to respond to known instances of violence or other criminal activities.
- Businesses and retail outlets. Businesses and shopping centers can be found liable for negligent security when they fail to employ enough security personnel, fail to have appropriate security systems in place, ensure adequate lighting, lack appropriate locks, or fail to respond to known instances of criminal activities.
- Hotels and motels. Hotels are open to the public 24 hours a day. People in hotels are generally from out of town and are not familiar wither their surroundings. Customers must have money to pay for the lodging and bills. All these factors make hotel patrons targets for criminals who want their money or want to take advantage of them physically.
- Parking lots.Parking lots are open venues that often have little security. People are often physically or sexually assaulted in these parking lots. Muggings in parking lots are common. Our South Carolina negligent security lawyers work to show what steps could have been taken to prevent or minimize the attack. When you are a victim of a parking lot crime, our law firm fights to hold the owners accountable for your injuries and losses.
- Apartments. Apartment complexes must consider that their tenants often get many types of visitors. Friends, family, and even residents can get into conflicts with the tenants. Strangers can lurk any time of day. Residents should feel safe when they enter their apartments late at night and while they sleep. Complexes that do not have adequate lighting or fail to have cameras or security systems may be liable if an attack happens.
Shopping malls, half-finished construction zones, and office buildings open at night may also pose risks.
Criminal charges vs. civil claims for damages
Negligent security cases are civil cases, which means they’re tried in civil court. But because they almost always involve some criminal element, it means there is likely a secondary case happening in criminal court.
In the criminal part of a case, a prosecutor will bring criminal charges against the person who caused you harm (the defendant). If the defendant is convicted, he or she may face jail time, fines, and other penalties.
In a civil case, a plaintiff (you, the injured person) seeks damages (compensation for losses) from a defendant or multiple defendants. You can be successful in a civil claim even if the person responsible for your injuries is not convicted of a crime, though our attorneys can also use a conviction as part of our evidence in your case.
What steps can property owners take to avoid assaults?
South Carolina imposes a duty on commercial property owners who invite customers onto their property and social hosts who invite people into their homes to take reasonable steps to protect invitees from known dangers or reasonably known dangers. A South Carolina negligent security lawyer reviews many issues to help prove the property owner should have reasonably done more to prevent an assault. We inquire about all other recent criminal activity at the site, what assault reports were filed, what security inspections were conducted and what other steps were done that should have prevented the assault. Our lawyers also study criminal acts that took place nearby.
Some of the other issues our firm investigates are:
- What lighting was actively working at the time of the crime?
- Did the doors and locks work?
- Was any alarm system in place?
- Did the site owner use an experienced security service?
- Who had access to the property?
- How could access be achieved?
- Who really owns the property?
What damages can I seek in a negligent security case in South Carolina?
If you suffered injuries because of negligent or inadequate security, you may be entitled to damages for your:
- Medical bills, including any future and long-term care you may require
- Lost wages and benefits, as well as a loss of future earning potential
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional pain and suffering
- Loss of companionship and/or enjoyment of life
- Property damages
Do you have a negligent security attorney near me?
McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC is located at 1539 Health Care Drive in Rock Hill, SC. If you are too ill or injured to visit us, we can see you in the hospital or meet via telephone or video conference.
We also maintain offices in or near Charleston, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, and Greenville, and serve clients throughout the State of South Carolina in all 46 counties, including Sumter, Anderson, Orangeburg, Hilton Head, Aiken, and Spartanburg.
Skilled attorneys for negligent security victims and families in South Carolina
Your negligent security case is important to us. The attorneys at McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, have extensive experience obtaining justice and compensation for people when property owners don’t secure their property to prevent criminal attacks. Our first-rate lawyers have handled complex cases, not only in our state, but throughout the country.
We are dedicated, driven, and committed to delivering results. Contact McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC. Call our offices at 803-327-7800 to schedule a free case evaluation by a South Carolina negligent security assault attorney, or fill out our contact form from any device. McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, proudly serves people throughout the state.