Parking Lot Attack and Assault Lawyers for Georgia Residents
Kidnappings, muggings, sexual assaults, and carjackings can happen in poorly secured, dark parking lots. Property owners should always ensure their parking lots are well-lit and equipped with safety equipment. Many parking lot owners refuse to take reasonable steps to provide customers adequate security because they are trying to save money.
Installing security fixtures and hiring adequate security guards can be expensive, leading many property owners to avoid paying for adequate security. When business owners of parking lots decide to put money over safety, victims are exposed to unnecessary risks. When you have been injured due to negligent parking lot security, you need an experienced and aggressive attorney to pursue the damages you deserve. Contact Atlanta attorney James Rice to schedule your free initial consultation.
Proving the Elements of Negligent Security in GA
Atlanta parking lot owners have certain obligations under local, state, and federal laws. The specifics of these laws depend on the area. Still, the underlying premise is that property owners owe their customers and visitors a duty to keep their property reasonably safe to prevent injuries. When victims become injured due to crimes that occur in parking lots, they can pursue a personal injury lawsuit under the legal theory of premises liability.
Georgia has laws that require landowners, including the owners of parking lots, to maintain the safety and sufficiency of their property so it does not pose an unreasonable risk of harm to authorized visitors. If you or your loved one has been seriously injured in an incident involving a dangerous parking lot, it is important that you reach out to an attorney as soon as possible. An attorney can begin gathering evidence showing that the parking lot owner’s negligence resulted in your injuries.
Common Examples of Inadequate Negligent Security in Parking Garages
When parking lot or parking garage owners do not take reasonable care to make their promises safe, a wide range of incidents can occur. Liability depends on the facts of the case, but generally, victims can hold parking garage owners liable for their injuries when they fail to:
- Provide sufficient lighting, requiring visitors to walk through dark areas to get to and from their vehicles
- Maintain functional lighting by repairing broken light fixtures and replacing burned-out bulbs
- Warn users of their parking garage of foreseeable dangers
- Quickly repair fences, gates, doors, and alarm systems
- Respond appropriately to warnings, alerts, threats, and other situations that would cause a reasonable person to have concerns about security
- Install security cameras, especially after an adverse security event like an assault or mugging
- Upgrade existing security devices and protocols if criminal acts have happened in the parking garage or around the garage
Proving the Crime in the Parking Lot Was Foreseeable
You must prove several elements to obtain compensation for your injuries if you have been injured in a parking lot. First, you must prove that the parking garage owner owed you a legal duty. Suppose you were in the parking garage for a lawful reason, and were not trespassing. In that case, the parking garage owner has a legal obligation to keep the garage and surrounding areas reasonably safe. Property owners need to keep the garage, sidewalks, entries, and stairwells leading to and from the parking garage reasonably safe.
You also need to show that you were lawfully on the premises. Employees, vendors, customers, and guests are all considered to be people who are lawfully on the premises. Next, you will need to show that the parking garage owner breaches a duty to you to keep the property reasonably safe.
Perhaps the garage owner failed to provide adequate security while knowing that crimes can and do occur in the parking garage or the surrounding area. For example, if there have been multiple assaults and car break-ins in the parking garage and the owner fails to install security cameras, does not hire any guards, and posts no warnings of the danger, these failures can constitute a breach of the property owner’s duty.
Proving Actual Harm
Victims of parking lot injuries will also need to show that the parking lot owner’s negligence caused their injuries and harm. For example, if a third party attacks the victim due to a lack of reasonable security measures, the property owner is partly to blame for the assault and resulting injuries. Of course, the third party who attacked the victim is also liable for the victim’s injuries. However, in many cases, the best way for the victim to obtain compensation is to pursue a claim against the property owner, not the street criminal who caused the injury.
Victims will need to show that the parking lot lacked adequate security. The attack could have been prevented. Parking garages and parking lot owners are not legally responsible for every crime on their premises. It is impossible to prevent 100% of crimes. Parking lot owners are only responsible for the crimes that happened directly because of their negligence in securing the premises. Finally, you will need to prove that you were harmed and suffered a physical injury. If you had a close call but escaped physical harm, you will not be able to obtain damages from the parking garage owner.
Can I Sue the Owner of the Parking Garage Owner or Management Company?
If you have been injured in the parking lot of a hotel, apartment complex, retail location, or other business, it is worth discussing your case with an attorney. If the parking lot owner could have prevented the incident by having reasonable security measures in place, you may be able to sue for damages. Many victims of parking lot incidents suffer life-long consequences, including PTSD, brain injuries, chronic pain, and more. Pursuing a claim can help victims recover the enormous medical expenses and lost income they have suffered.
Discuss Your Case With an Experienced Negligent Parking Lot Security Attorney
Have you or your loved one been harmed or injured due to a parking lot owner’s failure to maintain a safe parking lot? If so, you may have the right to pursue damages for your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Attorney James Rice can help you understand your legal rights, answer your questions, and aggressively pursue the compensation you deserve.
Mr. Rice, treated me and my case as if he was dealing with a “colleague” from the moment we met until the end of my case. I’m not a lawyer, nor in anyway, connected professionally to the law field. By “Colleague” I mean “Man, Husband, and Father” with all the responsibilities which correspond to the profession. He told me exactly what to expect with my case. His strategy and timeline to meet those expectations and what he would require of me to bring it all together in my best interest. Straight shooter, who got me back to the profession I love most in this world! Great lawyer who I’m proud to recommend to anyone needing his services.
R. C., Naval Submarine Veteran
