After your work shift ended, you clocked out and made the long walk to your car, parked in a nearby ramp. You make this journey every night, walking up two flights of stairs to the second level. Sometimes, the lights in the stairwells shine brightly, other nights they do not.
This happens to be a night when the lights are not working so well. And it provides just the right cover for someone looking for trouble. The result: An armed assailant accosts you, pistol-whipping you, kicking and punching you and fleeing with your briefcase, wallet and phone. You almost never knew what hit you in this violent attack attributed to negligent security.
Poor lighting, non-functioning cameras
Property owners and landlords have the responsibility to protect anyone who visits their premises. If they do not, chaos in the form of violent attacks may occur. Such incidents may occur inside or adjacent to office buildings, parking ramps, parking lots, apartment complexes, hotels along with businesses such as restaurants and bars.
Seriously injured victims in such attacks may pursue a negligent security claim, especially if the property owner failed to provide the necessary protection. Many such assaults are preventable if a property owner implements the right safety measures.
The following represent examples of reasons why violent attacks may occur on properties:
- Inefficient lighting: Under darkness and dim light, a criminal can hide in stairwells, parking ramps, parking lots and hallways, ready to pounce on an unsuspecting person.
- Absence of security cameras or non-functional cameras: A camera’s presence, sometimes, is enough to scare off would-be assailants. The watchful eyes of training security staff rely on cameras to monitor the comings and goings on properties.
- The shortage of security staff: If a property owner does not have enough properly trained security staff, he or she is asking for trouble.
- Easily opened locks on doors and windows: Such break-ins are avoidable with proper locks in place.
It may take years to recover from the physical and emotional trauma stemming from a violent attack attributed to negligent security. In your situation, the property owner was to blame for failing to provide proper lighting in the stairwell. The proper security measures may prevent such violent attacks.