Groups » 5 Things Businesses Need to Know to Avoid Negligent Security Lawsuits
If you are accused in a negligent security lawsuit, it can result in long-drawn and expensive litigation. There are several things that businesses and commercial property owners need to be aware of in order to prevent negligent security and premises liability lawsuits.
Premises liability cases result when a visitor on your property suffers injuries or harm due to your negligence. Slippery floors, broken floorboards, damaged staircase, torn or loose carpeting, poor lighting, or irregular patches or mounds on the ground can all result in accidents and injuries to visitors on your premises, leading to liability lawsuits.
Negligent security lawsuits arise when the victim was attacked or injured by a third party on your property and you did not do what was necessary to provide adequate safety or security to the victim.
Here are a few things that you need to be aware of if you want to steer clear of damaging negligent security lawsuits.
1. Hire the Security Experts
It is extremely important that you provide adequate, reliable, and consistent security to whomever happens to visit you. This is all the more relevant when your business or establishment is located in a high-crime area.
One of the top locations where security lapses lead to assault, battery, robbery, or rape is parking lots, where poor lighting, lack of monitoring using CCTV cameras, and inadequate placement of lot attendants all aggravate the chance of crime. Apartment buildings, exterior common areas, retail stores, and schools also are high-risk zones where adequate security is a must.
If you hire a good security agency, you will be able to breathe easier knowing that the security arrangements are taken care of. It is important that you stay on top of security measures and see to it that records are maintained and adequate guards are present on your property premises. Security agencies will also be able to map arrangements more effectively and concentrate on vulnerable spots.
2. Be Aware of Security Threats in Your Locality and Around Your Establishment
Any lapse on your part will be seen as a grave crime if you ignored the obvious safety risks in your locality. When negligent security lawsuits come up, one of the first things taken into consideration by the jury is whether you regularly took stock of the surrounding crime grid.
Apartment operating companies will have to monitor the law and order situation around their properties and take adequate safety precautions. In areas of high crime, it is reasonable to provide protection to premises from intruders, probable thefts, and arson.
3. Do Not Cut Corners as Far as Security Is Considered
Consistent and quality security programs cost a lot of money. But it is necessary that you do not trade off the safety of your customers, employees, visitors, students, patients, or residents for financial gain.
Murder, assault, robbery, or rape in your property can result in expensive settlements or claims, with verdicts for injuries often averaging at least a million dollars.
So, before you scale down security provisions, it is crucial you ensure that safety of your customer or employee will not be compromised by your action.
4. Do Not Provide Opportunity for Crime
A very critical element necessary to prove a case of negligent security is the presence of opportunity for a crime to take place in your premises. In other words, you did not provide adequate security to limit crimes of opportunity. It is easy to prove that the crime was foreseeable and you did nothing to inhibit the criminal.
Adequate security protection comes from securing the three Ls – location, lighting, and landscape. When there is good lighting and clear visibility in an area, a criminal will think twice before robbing or attacking your customer. Similarly, the location and landscape also must be secured with enough number of security guards and CCTV cameras. The landscape must be devoid of dark areas, barrier-free spaces, and thick vegetation, and also must not have unmanned access points.
Thorough security measures will be sufficient to show that you took every reasonable security measure to stop foreseeable crimes of opportunity.
5. Crime of Intention Cannot Be Foreseen
When the plaintiff is a victim of intentional crime, then it becomes difficult to prove the liability of the defendant. If the criminal is bent on causing the victim harm, then he or she will not consider the security, or lack of it, when contemplating the crime. The security arrangements in location, landscape, and lighting becomes irrelevant.
So, in cases of premeditated crimes, it becomes difficult to prove liability according to negligent security law.
All business establishments need to have a vetted and reliable security management system in place. Use of cutting-edge technology and adequate manpower will ensure that your property premises stay safe at all times.