Bridgeport Negligent Security Lawyers

Attorneys for Injuries Caused by a Lack of Security in Bridgeport, Connecticut

When people visit businesses, stay in hotels, live in apartment complexes, or enter other properties, they have reasonable expectations that their safety will be protected. Property owners and operators have a legal responsibility to implement the necessary security measures to protect visitors, tenants, customers, and guests from foreseeable criminal acts. When inadequate security allows violent crimes to occur, people may experience physical injuries, emotional trauma, and financial losses that could have been prevented. Property owners who fail to provide reasonable protection may be held accountable for the harm suffered by victims.

The failures of property owners to use the correct security measures can create opportunities for assaults, robberies, sexual violence, and other crimes. At Tremont Sheldon P.C., our premises liability lawyers can help victims take action against negligent property owners to address the harm they have suffered and recover compensation for their damages.

What Constitutes Negligent Security?

A property owner's obligations to provide proper security will depend on the likelihood of criminal activity based on the property's location, history, and the surrounding area. Negligent security can take various forms. Insufficient security guards can leave a property vulnerable when trained people are needed to monitor the premises, prevent criminal activity, and respond to incidents. Apartment complexes in high-crime areas, nightclubs that serve alcohol, parking garages, and shopping centers may require security guards. When property owners do not hire adequate security despite knowing about criminal activity patterns, they can create conditions where attacks become likely.

A lack of surveillance systems may allow criminal acts go undetected. Security cameras can discourage potential criminals who see that they are being monitored, and they can provide evidence when crimes occur. When property owners do not install cameras or do not repair non-functioning equipment, they may be held responsible for failing to implement basic security measures.

Inadequate lighting can create dangerous conditions in parking lots, walkways, stairwells, and building exteriors. Dark areas can provide cover for criminals who are waiting to assault or rob victims. Well-lit environments can help prevent crime and allow people to avoid dangerous situations. Property owners who allow lights to burn out, fail to install sufficient lighting, or design properties with dark, isolated areas may contribute to conditions where criminal activity can occur.

Broken or missing locks on doors, windows, and gates will prevent basic security barriers from providing protection. Apartment buildings should have functioning locks on exterior doors, individual units, and common areas. Hotels must ensure that room locks work properly. Commercial properties will need secure entry points. When locks are broken or missing, unauthorized people may gain easy access to areas where they can commit crimes against residents, guests, or customers.

Inadequate background screening of employees can put customers and visitors at risk from staff members. Security guards with violent backgrounds, maintenance workers with theft convictions, or hotel employees with records of sexual offenses should not be hired for positions involving access to vulnerable people. When property owners do not perform background checks or ignore concerning histories, they may enable employees to commit crimes against people on the premises.

Locations Where Negligent Security Can Lead to Harm

Proper protective measures are particularly important in certain types of properties. Apartment complexes and residential buildings will require security appropriate to their locations. Buildings in areas with elevated crime rates may need controlled access, security cameras, adequate lighting, and security patrols. When landlords fail to maintain locks, allow unauthorized people to loiter, or do not repair broken security doors, residents may be at risk of assault, burglary, and robbery in their own homes.

Parking garages and parking lots are common crime locations due to isolation, limited visibility, and people carrying valuables to vehicles. Adequate lighting, security cameras, emergency call boxes, and security patrols can help protect people using parking facilities. When parking facility operators do not implement appropriate security measures, users may become targets for robberies and assaults.

Hotels and motels have a duty to protect guests through functioning room locks, security cameras in hallways and common areas, adequate lighting, and controlled access to guest floors. When hotel operators cut costs by reducing security measures despite knowing about criminal activity, guests who are assaulted or robbed in their rooms or on the property may suffer preventable harm.

Bars, nightclubs, and restaurants that serve alcohol attract crowds, and conflicts may arise. These establishments should employ trained security personnel, maintain adequate lighting inside and outside, monitor for problem patrons, and use the proper procedures to de-escalate conflicts. When bar owners allow overcrowding, serve excessively intoxicated patrons, or fail to employ security guards, they can create dangerous environments.

At shopping centers and retail stores, people may experience robberies, assaults in parking areas, and attacks on employees. Stores in high-crime areas or those that are open late may need appropriate security, including cameras, adequate staffing, alarm systems, and procedures for handling threats. Mall operators should provide security for common areas and parking facilities.

Office buildings may require controlled access during and after business hours. Buildings with multiple tenants may need to restrict access to authorized personnel using key card systems or security desks. Parking facilities that serve office buildings will need proper lighting and monitoring. When building operators allow unrestricted access or fail to address security concerns, employees and visitors may face elevated crime risks.

Injuries From Negligent Security

Criminal acts that occur due to inadequate security can cause various types of harm to victims. Physical assault injuries may range from bruises and lacerations to severe trauma, including broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, and internal injuries. Victims may require emergency medical treatment, surgery, hospitalization, and ongoing care. Some injuries may cause permanent disabilities.

Sexual assault can lead to devastating physical and psychological trauma. Victims may require medical treatment, testing for sexually transmitted infections, and long-term counseling. The violation of sexual assault can cause profound emotional damage that may affect victims for years or permanently.

Robbery victims may be physically injured during the theft of their property. Injuries may occur when perpetrators use force, weapons, or violence to take belongings. In addition to physical harm, a robbery can lead to fear and a sense of violation when people are victimized.

Emotional and psychological trauma can affect all crime victims, regardless of whether physical injuries occurred. Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and fear are common responses to being assaulted or threatened. Victims may develop phobias about returning to locations where attacks occurred or going out in public generally.

Addressing Harm Caused by Negligent Security

Premises liability cases involving inadequate security will require a thorough investigation and an understanding of security industry standards. At Tremont Sheldon P.C., our lawyers can investigate the history of a property by obtaining police reports for crimes committed on the property, researching crime statistics in the surrounding area, interviewing prior victims, and examining whether a property owner was aware of security problems.

We work with security professionals who can evaluate whether the protective measures on a property fell below industry standards for similar properties. These specialists can review property conditions, crime histories, and security measures and provide opinions about what reasonable security measures should have been taken. Their testimony can establish that a property owner breached their duty by failing to implement adequate protection.

We will gather evidence about the specific incident through police reports and criminal case files, medical records documenting a victim's injuries, witness statements from people who observed the crime or the conditions on a property, and surveillance footage from security cameras that were operating. Our attorneys will examine a property owner's knowledge of the risks by reviewing prior incident reports filed with management, complaints from tenants or guests, inspection reports, and other information.

We will calculate the damages suffered by a victim, including medical expenses for treating physical injuries, costs of psychological counseling and therapy, lost wages, pain and suffering from physical and emotional trauma, and property losses from theft. Throughout the process, our legal team will provide compassionate representation while working to hold a property owner accountable and obtain full compensation for the victim.

Contact Our Bridgeport, CT Negligent Security Attorneys

Property owners who fail to provide adequate security despite knowing about potential risks should be held accountable when their negligence has allowed violent crimes to occur. Victims deserve compensation for the injuries and trauma they have suffered because a property owner prioritized cost savings over safety. At Tremont Sheldon P.C., our attorneys will fight to hold property owners responsible for failures that enabled criminal acts. Contact our Bridgeport negligent security injury lawyers at 203-335-5145 to set up a free consultation.