Laurel Negligent Security Attorneys

You have the right to assume that certain property owners will protect you from criminal actions carried out on their properties. If you get assaulted, robbed, or otherwise injured by a criminal while away from your home, then you might be able to hold the proprietor liable for your damages. When the criminal bad actor cannot be identified or apprehended, then bringing a claim or lawsuit against the proprietor might be your only option.

McGowan & Cecil, LLC can help you figure out if you have a valid claim against a property owner for negligent security that contributed to or failed to prevent your injuries. We are a team of Laurel negligent security lawyers that locals trust with complex and sensitive cases. It is never easy to decide to bring a claim against a property owner when it might feel correct to only sue the criminal offender, but our legal guidance can show you the importance of upholding your rights in any way you can.

Please call (301) 761-2007 to schedule a free consultation with our firm.

Examples of Negligent Security

Property owners need to take reasonable steps to protect visitors from undo harm caused by criminal offenders. This duty of care is heightened for commercial property owners, especially those who run a business in a neighborhood with known high crime rates. There are all sorts of precautions and security measures that a proprietor can take to reduce the risk of violent crime on their property. If those measures are not taken, then people will be at risk of injury, and the proprietor could be found liable for any resulting damages.

Common examples of negligent security are:

• No security cameras: A simple yet effective way to increase the security around any sort of property is to install security camera systems at key locations, like entrances and backrooms.
• Inadequate lighting: Any dark areas in a property should be remedied with adequate lighting that helps prevent both slip-and-fall accidents and assaults.
• Negligent security guards: If there are security personnel, they need to be trained to respond to criminal reports quickly and efficiently.
• Doors that cannot be locked: Complexes that allow many people to enter and exit as they please should install locking doors and provide keys to trusted guests or tenants.

Security measures such as those listed here can be taken by proprietors of all sorts of properties. From retail stores and banks to residential complexes and fitness centers, every property owner and manager needs to think about what they can do to better guarantee the safety of people who visit them.

Protections for Invitees, Licensees & Trespassers

Property owners owe a different duty of care to different people who are on their property. The higher duty of care, the more the property owner needs to do to stop criminal activities.

People on the property can be sorted into three subcategories:

• Invitees: An invitee is someone who is invited onto the property by the proprietor for the proprietor’s benefit, either directly or through implication. Customers in a store open to the public are invitees, for example. The greatest duty of care is owed to invitees.
• Licensees: A licensee is someone who is invited onto the property for their own benefit. Visiting friends or door-to-door salespersons are common examples of licensees.
• Trespassers: A trespasser who has entered a property without permission or with the express intent to commit a crime while there. The least duty of care is owed to trespassers.

Who you were in relation to the proprietor when you were harmed due to negligent security is significant. Our attorneys can work closely with you and others to establish your purpose for being on the property, which will decide the proprietor’s owed duty of care and liability for your injuries.

Figure Out Your Case without Complications

McGowan & Cecil, LLC and our Laurel negligent security attorneys can help you make the most of your claim without piling on the most stress on your shoulders. We take pride in being able to carefully and effectively manage and progress a case, so you, our client, can almost forget about it. Whenever there is an important update, we can keep you informed. But, for the most part, and if you prefer, we can take care of everything so you don’t have to.

Let’s talk about our representation today. Call (301) 761-2007 now.