Holding Florida Property Owners Liable For Injuries Caused By Crime On The Premises
In Florida, property owners have a duty to maintain safe premises for those invited onto the premises. In certain cases, a property owner is liable if you suffer injury as a result of crime on the property – even though the owner had no part in organizing or committing the crime. This is commonly referred to as negligent security.
More About Negligent Security
Negligent security cases are ones in which a business owner knows that their location is prone to criminal activity but fails to take adequate security measures to protect business invitees (such as customers) or to warn them of the potential hazard.
These cases are often tragic, resulting in serious injuries (like gunshot wounds) and even death.
We Know The Law And Have Helped Other Victims
If you’ve been injured or lost a loved one in a criminal act on another person’s property, we can help.
At Scott R. Marshall, P.A., in Clearwater, attorneys Scott Marshall and Marko Crespo have years of experience handling personal injury cases throughout Florida.
A Case In Point
Some legal concepts are easier to understand when supported by an example.
Let’s say a person delivers gas to a South Florida gas station. The gas station owner asks for that person to deliver gas between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. The gas station has a history of being robbed on multiple prior occasions. In fact, they used to use their own trucks to deliver the gas, but the drivers were robbed too frequently.
The gas station hires another company to make deliveries but doesn’t tell them about the history of armed robbery, doesn’t take measures to provide security and doesn’t allow the gas to be delivered during the day.
The delivery driver is robbed and suffered an almost fatal gunshot wound to the head while delivering the gas. He miraculously survives. The gas station is then liable for his damages.
Another Example
A fast-food chain has a location in a strip mall. The strip mall has a history of criminal activity, and the fast-food restaurant has been robbed multiple times in the preceding two years.
An employee of the fast-food restaurant is shot and killed during an armed robbery. The employee’s estate then files a wrongful death lawsuit against the strip mall owner and the fast-food restaurant for failing to take adequate security measures and to warn them of the risk of criminal activity.
Florida law places some limitations on cases such as these; nevertheless, business owners still have a duty to protect their business invitees from the reasonably foreseeable criminal acts of third parties.
Contact Our Firm To Learn How We Can Help You
If you’ve been injured due a property owners failure to ensure adequate security on their premises, reach out to our firm.
To get started, call us at 727-605-5916 or fill out our online contact form. Se habla español. Free consultations.