Have you been hurt due to the negligence of a property owner? Check out these 5 common negligent security questions, then call our attorneys.
1) How much does it cost to hire a negligent security attorney in Southwest Florida?
If you have a negligent security claim in Florida, it doesn’t cost you anything to hire our law firm. Our law firm works off a contingency fee basis, meaning that we only recover if we get a recovery for you. That goes for attorney’s fees and costs. If we have to hire an expert, which is often needed in a negligent security case to show that the property owner should’ve had proper security on the property, that’s not something we ask you to pay for either. You never spend any money out-of-pocket. Once we recover for you, as part of the contingency fee contract, we then get a portion of that recovery as the attorney’s fees and costs.
If you have a negligent security case, don’t be afraid because you think you’ll owe something to us. You don’t. We only recover if we recover for you. Please feel free to reach out to us.
2) Will my negligent security case go to trial?
Oftentimes when somebody has a negligent security case and they come to me, they say, “It’s a case that I never want to go to trial,” and that’s fine. Most of these cases do not need to go to trial. This all really depends on the insurance company and how reasonable they’re willing to be.
We know how to work up a negligent security case appropriately so that early on we can get the case resolved. Sometimes that doesn’t work, though, and we have to litigate the case and go into litigation. Even if we file a lawsuit and go into litigation, that doesn’t mean that we have to go to trial. Most cases are still settle-able. Why? Because the insurance company knows that we are a trial law firm and that we will try the case. While you as a client are telling me, “I don’t want to go to trial,” the insurance company won’t know that, and they’ll know our firm and they’ll know our firm goes to trial, so we can usually get reasonable value and avoid you having to go to trial. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have a negligent security case.
3) Who is liable for my negligent security case in Southwest Florida?
We’ve had folks come to us before who have been injured on a property. They’re walking through a parking lot of a retailer, for example. It’s night, the lights aren’t working, and they’re assaulted, things are stolen from them, and they’re injured. They say, “I think I have a case against the person who injured me,” and we tell them, “Your case is really against that retailer.” What we do is we look into that area and the crime grid in the area, and if there’s past crimes in the area where there are similar crimes of assault or shootings or violent crimes, then the property owner has a duty to make sure they’re keeping people safe by having lighting in the parking area or also having security guards.
We often see cases like this, and people don’t really realize that that’s a negligent security case, but that’s what it is. A property owner can absolutely be responsible if there is negligent security or lack of security on their property and you’re injured as a result. If that’s the case, please feel free to reach out to us. We can handle those cases.
4) Can I file a negligent security claim if I was injured by an employee?
If you’re injured by an employee at an establishment, you could potentially have a negligent security claim in Florida. The owner of that establishment needs to have background checks or know who the people are that they’re hiring. If they hire somebody who’s violent or who hurts you in some manner because they shouldn’t be working on that property, then you potentially have a negligent security case.
You really need to consult an attorney. The attorney can do the discovery needed to determine if that person was known to the employer to be, say, violent, and then make the appropriate claim if that’s the case. Our law firm has been handling these negligent security case for nearly 60 years. We know how to analyze these cases to determine if there’s a case, so please feel free to reach out to us if you’ve had a negligent security incident.
5) Should I talk to the insurance company of the establishment after a negligent security injury in Southwest Florida?
If you’re injured in a negligent security case in Florida, the insurance company or the attorneys for the defendant can reach out to you right away and might want to take a statement. It’s never a good idea to talk to them. We’ve had plenty of clients who hire us after they’ve already given a statement, and that can really hurt the value of a case because the attorneys or investigators will know the right questions to ask you to try to trip you up, and then they’ll use that against you later.
Don’t talk to the insurance company. Get an attorney involved right away. The attorney can help guide you through the process and, if there is a statement given, can help you to understand the questions that are going to be asked before the questions are asked and can be there at your side to give that statement. More often than not, we don’t even allow the statements to occur. We just submit an explanation of how the incident happened from your point of view with our special damages or demand letter, and insurance companies don’t say, “If we don’t get a statement, we’re never going to settle the case.” That’s not how it works. They’ll make you feel that way early on to try to get you to or coach you into giving that statement.
Don’t give the statement. Reach out to our law firm, and we can help you.
Have you or a loved one been hurt due to the negligence of a business or property owner and have questions? After checking out these 5 common negligent security questions, contact our experienced Southwest Florida Negligent Security lawyers today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
Like us on Facebook