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Personal Injury Lawyer

Shooting victims have legal remedies. While the criminal justice system punishes criminals, it does little to compensate victims. A victim can file a civil suit against a shooter, but it is often difficult to obtain compensation from criminals. In some cases, the shooter is never identified. In others, the shooter has no assets and cannot pay significant compensation to a victim.

When a shooting occurs on the premises of a business, the business may share responsibility for the victim’s injuries. A security negligence lawyer can evaluate the circumstances and determine whether the business should have protected the victim from harm.

State laws vary, but states typically allow victims to hold a business accountable when the business should have foreseen the risk of a shooting and failed to take reasonable action to prevent it. Providing security guards is a sensible precaution for some businesses to take, particularly when the business is aware that neighborhood violence exposes its customers to a risk of harm.

Failing to install and maintain adequate lighting in building entrances and parking lots is another ground for holding a business liable for negligence. Criminals take advantage of darkness, and shootings in the course of committing a crime are a foreseeable risk that businesses should protect against.

Obtaining Medical Treatment After a Shooting at a Business

Nothing is more important after a shooting than seeking medical care. Even if the wound seems superficial, any wound can cause a life-threatening infection if it is not treated promptly.

Following through on recommended treatment is also essential to a complete recovery. Shooting victims heal more quickly when they follow a doctor’s advice. Deciding to abandon physical therapy or to forego recommended treatment because it is costly or time-consuming may cause a condition to worsen.

Obtaining prompt medical treatment and following through on a doctor’s recommendations is also the key to obtaining full compensation for a shooting injury. When crime victims neglect their treatment needs, insurance claims adjusters argue that their injuries must have healed. They also argue that any belated treatment was probably related to some other cause. Seeing a doctor immediately after a shooting and following the doctor’s advice will prevent an insurance adjuster from using their most powerful arguments against paying full compensation.

Consulting a Security Negligence Lawyer After a Shooting at a Business

A security negligence lawyer can help shooting victims (and the families of deceased victims) recover compensation from a business that failed to protect them. Investigating the facts is one of the first steps the lawyer will take.

The police will typically undertake their own investigation. For that reason, it is important to report the shooting to the police and to cooperate with the police investigation. Failing to work with the police undercuts the ability to make a successful compensation claim.

The police investigation will focus on the shooting. It may not be sufficient to prove the liability of the business where the shooting occurred. A security negligence lawyer will determine whether the business breached a duty to protect its customers. The lawyer will determine whether the business had security guards on the premises and, if so, will ask why those guards did not prevent the shooting.

Taking a step as simple as providing security cameras might discourage a shooting. The victim’s lawyer will determine whether the business had security cameras in the area where the shooting occurred. The lawyer will also investigate lighting and other factors within the control of the business that might have contributed to the shooting.

The victim’s personal injury lawyer will want to begin that investigation while memories are still fresh. For that reason, the victim or the victim’s family should obtain prompt legal advice whenever a shooting occurs at a business.