Hurt in an Attack That Should Have Been Prevented

Negligent Security in Jacksonville: When a Property Owner’s Failure Leaves You Hurt

You went to your apartment, a parking garage, a hotel, or a store. It was supposed to be safe. Instead, you were shot, stabbed, robbed, beaten, or sexually assaulted. Now you or someone you love faces a life-changing injury. And you’re trying to understand how this could happen.

Here’s something many people don’t know. The person who attacked you may not be the only one at fault. Maybe the property owner failed to take basic safety steps. If that failure helped cause the attack, you may have a legal claim against the owner too.

This is hard to talk about. You did nothing to deserve it. We’ll keep this simple. We’ll treat you with respect. Later, we’ll name the legal term for this kind of case. But first, let’s talk about your situation.

Request a free, confidential case evaluation.

Your situation has a legal name: negligent security

Sometimes a property owner ignores clear safety problems. Then someone gets hurt in a crime that could have been prevented. The law calls this negligent security.

It’s part of a larger area of law called premises liability. That simply means a property owner has a duty. They must keep their property reasonably safe for the people they invite in.

Owners, landlords, and management companies can’t stop every crime. But they must take reasonable steps against crime they should see coming. Depending on the property and its past, reasonable security can include:

• Working locks, gates, and entry systems that actually latch and lock
• Enough lighting in lots, stairwells, breezeways, and walkways
• Security cameras that work — not fake or long-broken
• Trained guards or patrols where the risk clearly calls for it

Say these protections are missing or broken. And say a violent crime happens that the owner should have seen coming. Then the owner may share the blame. You can read more in our negligent security overview and our guide to the negligent security law in Florida.

Where these attacks happen around Jacksonville

Certain places come up again and again in these cases:

• Apartment complexes and gated communities. The gate has been stuck open for weeks. The cameras are dead. The parking lot is dark.
• Parking lots and garages near shopping, entertainment, and event areas.
• Hotels and motels along highways like I-95 and I-10.
• Bars, nightclubs, and late-night entertainment districts.
• Gas stations, convenience stores, ATMs, and retail parking after dark.

These are ordinary places across Duval County. The legal question is always the same. Did the owner do what was reasonable to keep people safe?

The catastrophic injuries these cases involve

Our firm focuses on serious, permanent, life-altering injuries. Violence is a known cause of paralysis. The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation reports that violence is one of the leading causes of spinal cord injury in the United States.

The harm we see includes:

• Spinal cord injuries and paralysis. A gunshot or violent attack can damage the spinal cord. This can cause permanent loss of movement and feeling. Doctors call this paraplegia or quadriplegia. It often means lifelong care, as the Mayo Clinic explains. Doctors rate how bad it is using the ASIA Impairment Scale.
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI) — a serious brain injury from a beating, a fall during an attack, or a gunshot.
• Amputation or limb loss from severe gunshot or crush trauma.
• Severe burns from an attack or fire.
• Catastrophic back and neck injuries that cause permanent harm.

Read more in our resources on spinal cord injuries, paralysis, traumatic brain injuries, amputation injuries, and severe burn injuries.

When a loved one dies. A death is the most catastrophic outcome of all. Did a shooting or attack take your family member’s life? Surviving relatives may be able to bring a wrongful death claim. We handle these cases with dignity. We stay focused on your family and what you can do next.

Who can be held responsible

The attacker answers to the criminal courts. A negligent security claim is a separate, civil case. It’s about money to help you recover. It does not depend on whether the attacker is ever caught, charged, or convicted.

Parties who may share the blame include:

• Property owners
• Property management companies
• Landlords
• Hired security companies

The key question is foreseeability. In plain terms: should the owner have known a crime like this could happen? Proof of foreseeability can include:

• Past crimes on or near the property
• Tenant or customer complaints and warnings
• Police call histories
• Obvious hazards, like broken gates and burned-out lights

For the legal basics, see our guides on the four types of negligence and whether people go to jail for negligence.

How Florida law affects your claim

This is the general picture. It is not legal advice for your specific situation.

Shared fault. Florida uses a modified comparative-negligence rule. This means fault can be split between people. Under Fla. Stat. §768.81, you generally recover nothing if you’re found more than 50% at fault for your own harm. If your share is below that line, your recovery drops by your percentage of fault.

Deadline to file. Florida sets a time limit called the statute of limitations. This is the deadline to file your lawsuit. Under Fla. Stat. §95.11, many negligence claims that started on or after March 24, 2023 have a two-year deadline. It was four years before that change. Wrongful-death and other situations can follow different timelines. So confirm your deadline with an attorney rather than guessing.

Damages that may be available. In serious-injury and wrongful-death cases, families may seek:

• Past and future medical costs
• The cost of long-term care
• Lost earnings and lost earning capacity
• Pain and suffering

Every case is different, and no outcome is guaranteed.

Protect the evidence — it disappears faster than you think

In these cases, the proof that a property was unsafe can vanish within days. Broken gates get fixed. Burned-out lights get replaced. Video gets erased. If you’re able — or if a family member or friend can help — these steps matter:

1. Get medical care first and follow your treatment plan. Your medical records also document the injury.
2. Report the crime to police. Write down the case number and incident/report number. You’ll need these later.
3. Photograph everything now. Take photos of the broken gate, the dark parking lot, the missing camera, and the busted lock. Take them at the time of day it happened. Timestamps help.
4. Move fast on video. Many private security systems record over their footage within days — sometimes 72 hours or less. A lawyer can quickly send the owner a preservation letter. Lawyers call it a spoliation letter. It demands they save the video before it’s gone.
5. Get witness names and phone numbers while people still remember.
6. Don’t give recorded statements to any insurer before you talk with a lawyer.

You are dealing with the property owner’s insurance company and its lawyers. They handle these claims every day. You don’t have to face that alone or on their timeline.

How a Jacksonville negligent security lawyer can help

A negligent security lawyer looks into what went wrong. They build the case so your family can focus on healing. That includes:

• Digging into the property’s security history. This means past crimes, police call logs, tenant complaints, and prior incidents. It helps prove foreseeability and find every responsible party.
• Saving and gathering evidence and working with experts. This shows the full scope of harm, from lifelong medical needs to lost income.
• Handling all communication with insurers and defense lawyers, so your family doesn’t have to.

Our attorneys are licensed and admitted to The Florida Bar. You can check any lawyer’s standing through The Florida Bar’s consumer resources. We handle catastrophic-injury and negligent security cases in Jacksonville, across Florida, and nationwide. We also offer support in English and Spanish, so language is never a barrier to getting answers.

Talk to us about your case — free and confidential

You didn’t ask for this, and you shouldn’t have to carry it alone. Were you hurt — or did you lose someone you love — in an attack on someone else’s property? We’re ready to listen.

Your free case evaluation costs nothing. There’s no obligation, and it stays confidential. We serve Jacksonville and Duval County, plus clients statewide and nationwide. Se habla español.

Contact CHG Personal Injury Lawyers for a free case evaluation.

Frequently asked questions

This page is general information, not legal advice. No result is guaranteed. For advice about your situation, speak with a licensed attorney.