Office Building Negligent Security Attorney in Atlanta

Inadequate security lawsuits (sometimes referred to as negligent security lawsuits) are third-party premises liability claims that allege the entity that owns or controls the property failed to maintain an adequate level of security necessary to keep guests reasonably safe from criminal attacks.

These can include robberies, shootings, stabbings, sexual assaults, and more. This doesn’t mean the property must ensure anyone’s safety. However, they can take certain measures after reasonably deducing the likelihood of a future attack based on things like:

• The type of business(es) they are operating. (A 24-7 gas station is going to require a different level of security than a 9-5 insurance office.)
• The history of violent or felony crimes that have been reported at that specific location within a given timeframe.
• The history of violent or felony crimes reported in the neighborhood where the office building is located.

The reported criminal history doesn’t need to be at the exact same address or even involve the exact same issue as what prompted the lawsuit. For example, an office worker who was sexually assaulted by an assailant at gunpoint could point to a history of armed robberies or burglaries in the area as evidence of foreseeability that should have prompted tighter security.

Every office building is different. It depends on the size, location, and nature of the company, but most Atlanta-area office buildings have some combination of the following:

• Door access control
• Security guard personnel
• Photo ID checks
• CCTV security cameras
• Security alarms
• Locked or stationary windows
• Adequate exterior and interior lighting

If you are injured at an office building in Atlanta, our dedicated injury lawyers will carefully examine the evidence, determine if you’ve got a case, and help you formulate a winning legal strategy.

Office buildings in Atlanta come in all shapes and sizes. Most were built in the latter half of the 20th century and beyond, but new construction is happening constantly. For the most part, Atlanta adheres to International Building Code safety standards for its new construction. (If a building fails to meet these standards, it can be evidence of negligence per se, or as a matter of law, making your case easier to win.)

But whether an office is brand new or holds decades of history in its walls, it must be reasonably safe for lawful occupants. Improper construction, regular wear-and-tear, disrepair, and security failures can adversely impact the safety of an office building.

Office building injuries reported in recent years have involved issues with:

• Broken stairways.
• Missing railings.
• Malfunctioning elevators or escalators.
• Transient substances on walking surfaces (wet or slippery floors).
• Hazardously-stacked boxes or stored equipment.
• Broken equipment, office chairs, machinery, etc.
• Faulty wiring (fire and shock hazards).
• Unsecured power cords.
• Bunched or loose carpeting or rugs.
• Broken or cracked sidewalks.
• Sidewalks unkempt with debris, leaves or ice.
• Inadequate signage or markings in parking lots or entrance ways.
• Lack of sufficient security (poor lighting, no security guards, no surveillance cameras, etc.) leading to increased vulnerability to criminal attack.

The question will be whether the measures that existed were sufficient to protect unsuspecting, lawful guests from an unreasonable risk of harm. If not, negligent parties may include:

• The property owner.
• The building owner.
• The occupier/controller of the building.
• The security firm hired to implement and monitor on-site security.
• Maintenance companies that may have failed to keep security systems in good working order.

If the case involves an attack, one might also file a direct claim for intentional tort against the attacker, though the viability of such claims should be carefully weighed with your attorney. Insurers won’t pay on intentional tort claims, so the question will be whether the assailant personally has assets worth seizing if you win.

If the person who was injured was working at the time of the incident, it’s plausible that workers’ compensation will kick in as the exclusive remedy against his/her employer. Workers’ compensation insurance is nice because it’s a no-fault system of recovering damages for medical bills and lost wages. As long as you can show the injury occurred in the course and scope of your employment, you don’t need to prove anyone else caused your injury.

However, workers’ compensation doesn’t extend to damages like pain and suffering, mental and emotional anguish, and loss of life enjoyment. These damages can be substantial. So if the office building is owned by someone other than the employer or if another third party was possibly negligent in creating or allowing the circumstances that resulted in an Atlanta office injury, we recommend discussing it with an experienced lawyer at Apolinsky & Associates, LLC. We identify all potential negligent parties and then fight to help you recover the compensation to which you are entitled.

Under Georgia’s statute of limitations, lawsuits arising from office building accidents or injuries must be filed within 2 years (Ga. Code Ann. Sec. 9-3-33) of the injurious incident. Based on this statute of limitations in Georgia, if you try to file your office building injury lawsuit after the 2-year window, the court will, in most cases, refuse to hear it.

Based on this Georgia statute of limitations alone, it is best to take legal action regarding your office building accident injury as soon as possible. Our Atlanta personal injury lawyers at Apolinsky & Associates, LLC take the time to collect evidence and witness statements in pursuit of your office building accident lawsuit.