When people are on the property of hotels, hospitals, apartment buildings, schools, malls, stores, self-storage facilities, and other premises, they expect to be safe, and it is the responsibility of property owners to provide a secure environment. It is the duty of property owners to ensure that those they invite onto their properties as patients, customers, residents, or students do not become a victim of crime, such as assault, abduction, robbery, homicide, rape or any other kind of crime that could cause harm, especially in places where crimes have already been committed in the past. In a location where there is a foreseeable likelihood for crimes to happen, owners need to take appropriate measures to keep people safe on their property, which could include locked windows, security cameras, gated entrances, bright lighting in places like stairways, parking lots, and elevators, and security guards.
When property owners do not secure their properties against criminals posing a danger to those who are there legally, and someone is injured because of a criminal act, that person often has a civil claim against the owner of the property to recover financial compensation for losses as a result of the crime. The victim has to show that the property owner was negligent, and that the negligence caused the injury. Some common conditions that could demonstrate negligent security include the following:
- Poor interior or exterior lighting
- Open gates
- Lack of security measures in areas that are enclosed
- Failing to monitor security systems properly
- Broken or open locks
- No security guards
Oklahoma Negligent Security Attorneys
If you or someone you know has been hurt as a result of a crime that happened on someone else’s property due to negligent security, you should consult with an experienced negligent security lawyer as soon as possible. The member Oklahoma Negligent Security Attorneys at Oklahoma Attorney Group are ready to begin a thorough investigation into your case by studying any lapses in security through photographs of the scene of the crime, by determining if a security system was working correctly and being properly monitored, finding out if the area was subject to any criminal activity before the accident, talking with any witnesses, and taking any other steps necessary to prove the owner knew or should have reasonably foreseen that crime could likely occur. Call Oklahoma Attorney Group today so any evidence proving failure of appropriate security can still be obtained before owners fix the problem following an accident.
