If you or a family member were a victim of a crime in St. Petersburg, FL, the property owner may be liable for your damages. Business owners must take steps to prevent foreseeable crimes.
An experienced St. Petersburg negligent security lawyer at Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers can help you fight to recover compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and your pain and suffering.
Our lawyers have over 119 years of experience fighting to recover fair compensation for our injured clients. You can count on us to help you recover every available dollar.
You’ve already experienced an unimaginable trauma. Let our lawyers handle the legal issues. Call our law offices in St. Petersburg, Florida, at (727) 314-5988 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation today.
How Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help You Were Attacked on Someone Else’s Property in St. Petersburg
If you were attacked on someone else’s property, you probably have questions. How do I get justice? Can someone else be liable for my damages? Where do I turn for help?
Our St. Petersburg personal injury lawyers are here to provide the advice and guidance you deserve. At Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, we’ve been working hard to protect clients like you since 2001. We know the Florida personal injury laws inside and out–and we’re prepared to put our skills to work for you.
When you hire us, expect a lawyer who can:
- Coordinate an in-depth investigation into the attack
- Determine who is ultimately responsible for your damages
- Identify all sources of compensation, including insurance coverage
- Document your damages and calculate our case value
- Consult experts as we analyze evidence and build your premises liability claim
- Negotiate with the negligent property owner and insurance companies on your behalf
Our lawyers aren’t timid when it comes to going up against large corporations and their insurance companies. If the responsible parties won’t play fair, our St. Petersburg personal injury attorneys will file a lawsuit and fight for you in court.
All you have to do is call for your free case review to get started.
What Is Negligent Security?
Most people know that property owners can be held responsible for slip and fall accidents that happen on the premises. However, you might not know that businesses can be held liable when someone enters the property and commits a criminal attack.
“Negligent security” is the legal basis for holding a third party responsible for the criminal acts of another person.
Who Can Be Held Liable for My Damages?
Of course, the person who attacked you can be held responsible for their actions. You may also have a valid personal injury claim against someone other than your attacker.
Any business owner who failed to provide adequate security can potentially be responsible for damages, including owners of:
- Restaurants, bars, and nightclubs
- Parking garages and parking lots
- Hotels
- Hospitals
- Colleges and universities
- Schools and daycare centers
- Rental apartment complexes
- Sports and entertainment venues
- Cruise ships
- Airlines and airports
- Shopping malls
- Office buildings
- Government agencies
The basis for holding businesses liable for inadequate security is simple. When we visit a business, we don’t have control over conditions on the property. Only the business owner has the power to install adequate security to prevent criminal attacks from occurring.
How Do I Prove I Deserve Compensation Based on Negligent Security in Florida?
Property owners in Florida aren’t liable for every assault that occurs on their premises. Under premises liability laws, businesses are only liable for a victim’s compensation when they’re negligent.
To prove negligent security, you must establish the following elements:
- You were lawfully on the premises at the time of the attack
- The criminal activity was reasonably foreseeable
- The business owner failed to install adequate security that could have prevented the attack
- You suffered damages, or injuries, because of the attack
The first element is relatively simple. If you were not trespassing, you were lawfully on the property, so the owner owed you a duty of care. However, elements two and three can be more difficult to establish.
Different types of evidence can be used to prove the attack was reasonably foreseeable, including:
- Crime maps that show a history of violent crime in the area
- The type of business involved
- The types of people who are typically attracted to the business in question
- Statements from neighbors and witnesses
- Evidence that crimes have occurred on the property in the past
What constitutes “adequate security” will also vary depending on the circumstances, the neighborhood, and the nature of the business in question.
Adequate security may include:
- Physical security guards
- Locked fences and gates
- Adequate lighting
- Security cameras and alarm systems
- Employees who are trained to respond to threats of violence
- Controlling keys and passcodes that grant access to the premises
Businesses in high-crime areas are required to take extra security precautions to prevent crimes. Similarly, owners of nightclubs, pawn shops, and other businesses where criminal activity is more likely must take the increased risk of crime into account.
What Is My St. Petersburg Negligent Security Claim Worth?
Your case value can depend on a range of different factors. Most negligent security cases hinge on the nature and severity of the victim’s injuries.
Aside from the type of injury you have suffered, relevant factors may include:
- The cost of your medical treatment
- Whether you will need ongoing medical care
- Whether you miss work and lose income during recovery
- How the injury impacts your future, considering work, education, and lifestyle
- The circumstances of the attack
- The identity of the responsible party and the nature of their actions
- The physical and emotional trauma you have suffered
Speaking with a lawyer after an attack is the best way to learn about your case value and your legal options. It’s normal to have questions. Our lawyers are here to offer answers. Contact us today to learn more about how our legal team at Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers can protect you.
What Types of Damages Are Available if I Was Attacked While Visiting a Business in St. Petersburg?
Our lawyers in St. Petersburg can help you fight for compensation to cover all of the damages you have suffered. Those damages include your economic and non-economic losses.
Examples of the types of compensation you may be entitled to receive include:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress caused by the attack
- Lost wages
- Diminished future earning potential
- Physical therapy
- Psychological counseling
- Treatment for mental health disorders
- Property damage
- PTSD and fear
- Diminished quality of life
- Physical disfigurement and scarring
- Loss of consortium
Insurance companies will want to see careful documentation outlining the losses you have suffered. Sometimes that’s as simple as producing receipts. Other losses will be much more difficult to translate into a dollar value.
Our lawyers will work with you, your doctors, and other experts to document and prove your losses. We’ll stand by your side at every stage of the legal process. Just call our personal injury law firm to schedule your free case review today.
Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for My Injuries in Florida?
You might not imagine that you’ll be blamed for being attacked. However, when you’re dealing with an insurance company, it’s entirely possible that they’ll try to blame you.
Everyone has a duty to exercise reasonable caution to prevent injuries. That includes the person who was injured. It’s possible that the property owner could claim that you should have recognized the danger and taken steps to prevent the attack.
Under Florida’s modified comparative negligence law, you can recover compensation if you were less than 51% to blame. If your share of fault reaches 51%, you’re barred from recovering compensation.
Our St. Petersburg Negligent Security Attorneys Will Fight To Recover Compensation for All of Your Injuries
Victims of assault and sexual assault often suffer severe injuries.
At Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers, we often represent victims who have suffered:
- Stab wounds
- Gunshot wounds
- Facial injuries
- Dental injuries
- Broken bones
- Eye injuries
- Soft tissue damage
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head and neck injuries
- Concussions
- Back injuries
- Organ damage
- Burns
- Amputations
- Paralysis
If you lost a loved one who suffered catastrophic and fatal injuries, our wrongful death lawyers in St. Petersburg can help you fight for fair compensation.
How Long Do I Have To File a Negligent Security Lawsuit in Florida?
Personal injury laws in Florida have changed recently. The statute of limitations now gives injured parties two years to file a lawsuit for damages. The two-year clock starts to run on the date of your attack.
However, if your attack happened before March 24, 2023, you have four years from the date of the assault to file a personal injury lawsuit. There are exceptions to these deadlines in some instances; it is recommended that you reach out to a qualified attorney to confirm how the amount of time you have to file a lawsuit in your case.
Schedule a Free Case Review With a St. Petersburg Negligent Security Lawyer Today
When you visit a business, the owner has a duty to take precautions that can keep you safe from criminal activity. If you were injured while visiting a business in the Tampa Bay area, contact a St. Petersburg negligent security attorney today. Our team at Winters & Yonker Personal Injury Lawyers knows how to help you recover the compensation you deserve.
