Skip to content

Negligent Security

Negligent Security

South Carolina Negligent Security Lawyer Fighting For Injury Victims

Strong counsel if you are attacked on someone else’s property

Negligent security means that commercial and public property owners have a duty to protect customers and visitors to their site from violent assaults and criminal attacks that could have been anticipated. If you were attacked while trying to use an ATM machine, robbed while you were on a parking lot, threatened while you were in a hotel or apartment lobby or violated in some way, you may have the right to bring a legal action against the owner of the premises where the assault occurred.

At McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, our South Carolina negligent security attorneys have the experience to hold property owners accountable. We have obtained millions in personal injury settlements with insurance companies and in jury verdicts for our clients. We understand that property owners cannot pass the blame onto the criminal or the assailant. We hold property owners responsible when they fail to protect their customers and licensees.

Where negligent security often occurs

Violations of your security can occur at any commercial location, public site or private home. Property owners should make security part of their safety agenda. Often premise liability defendants will assert that they provided all the security they could. They may argue the victim should have been more careful. That’s why you need a South Carolina negligent security attorney who has the skill to properly prepare your case to secure the compensation you rightfully deserve. Hotels, parking lots and apartment complexes are three of the most common places for assaults because access tends to be easy, security lax and people use these places during the nighttime.

  • Hotels. Hotels are open to the public 24 hours a day. People in hotels are generally from out of town and are not familiar wither their surroundings. Customers have to have money to pay for the lodging and bills. All of these factors make hotel patrons targets for criminals who want their money or want to take advantage of them physically.
  • Parking Lots. Parking lots are open venues that often have little security. People are often physically or sexually assaulted in these parking lots. Muggings in parking lots are common. Our South Carolina negligent security lawyers work to show what steps could have been taken to prevent or minimize the attack. When you are a victim of a parking lot crime, our law firm fights to hold the owners accountable for your injuries and losses.
  • Apartments. Apartment complexes have to consider that that their tenants often get many types of visitors. Friends, family and even residents can get into conflicts with the tenants. Strangers can lurk any time of day. Residents should feel safe when they enter their apartment late at night and while they sleep. Complexes that do not have adequate lighting or fail to have cameras or security systems may be liable if an attack happens.

Shopping malls, half-finished construction zones office buildings that are open at night may also pose risks.

The steps property owners could reasonably take

South Carolina imposes a duty on commercial property owners who invite customers onto their property and social hosts who invite people into their homes to take reasonable steps to protect invitees from known dangers or reasonably known dangers. A South Carolina negligent security lawyer reviews many issues to help prove the property owner should have reasonably done more to prevent an assault. We inquire about all other recent criminal activity at the site, what assault reports were filed, what security inspections were conducted and what other steps were done that should have prevented the assault. Our lawyers also study criminal acts that took place nearby.

Some of the other issues our firm investigates are:

  • What lighting was actively working at the time of the crime?
  • Did the doors and locks work?
  • Was any alarm system in place?
  • Did the site owner use an experienced security service?
  • Who had access to the property?
  • How could access be achieved?
  • Who really owns the property?

Skilled attorneys for negligent security victims and families in South Carolina

Your negligent security case is important to us. The attorneys at McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, have extensive experience obtaining justice and compensation for people when property owners don’t secure their property to prevent criminal attacks. Our first-rate lawyers have handled complex cases, not only in our state, but throughout the country.

We are dedicated, driven, and committed to delivering results. Contact McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC. Call 803-327-7800 and schedule a free case evaluation by a South Carolina negligent security assault attorney, or fill out our contact form from any device. McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, proudly serves people throughout the state, from offices in Columbia, Anderson, Rock Hill, Sumter, and Georgetown.