Shot on Someone Else's Property? You May Have a Claim Against the Owner

Paralysis from a Shooting: Negligent Security Claims Against Property Owners

You were shot on someone else’s property. An apartment complex. A parking lot. A garage. A hotel. A bar. A gas station. A store. An ATM.

The property had broken locks. No lighting. No cameras. No security staff.

Now you’re paralyzed. The shooter is criminally responsible. But the property owner may also be legally liable for your injury and lifetime care costs through a claim called negligent security.

This page explains how negligent security claims work, what they cover, and why pursuing one matters for your future.

Paralysis from a Gunshot: Paraplegia vs. Quadriplegia

Where the gunshot hit your spine determines your type of paralysis.

Paraplegia happens when a gunshot damages your mid-back or lower-back spine. You lose function below the waist. Your legs and lower body are paralyzed. Your arms and hands still work.

Quadriplegia (also called tetraplegia) happens when a gunshot damages your neck spine. You lose function below the neck. Your arms, hands, legs, and torso are all paralyzed. Quadriplegia is more severe and usually requires 24-hour personal care and breathing support.

A gunshot to the upper neck (C1–C4) may affect your ability to breathe on your own. A gunshot to the lower neck (C5–C8) may leave some arm function but still paralyze your legs and core.

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), gunshot wounds cause about 12% of all spinal cord injuries in the United States. How severe it is depends on whether the bullet severs or partially damages the spinal cord and at what level.

Both paraplegia and quadriplegia are permanent. According to the Mayo Clinic, spinal cord injuries do not heal. Once nerve fibers are damaged by a gunshot, they do not grow back.

When a Property Owner Is Liable: Negligent Security Claims

Property owners have a legal duty to protect visitors and residents from foreseeable harm—including violent crime.

If a property has a history of violence, sits in a high-crime area, or nearby properties have experienced attacks, the owner should know violence is foreseeable. Reasonable security means working locks and gates, adequate lighting, security cameras, alarm systems, and trained security staff where appropriate.

When someone shoots you on a property with inadequate security, the owner can be held legally responsible if they failed to provide reasonable protection and the violence was foreseeable. This is a negligent security claim—a civil lawsuit against the property owner, separate from any criminal case against the shooter.

Paralysis from a gunshot is catastrophic and permanent. It affects your ability to work, care for yourself, move, and enjoy relationships.

The lifetime costs are substantial. According to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, lifetime costs for a person with paraplegia average $1.3 million to $4.6 million. For quadriplegia, costs can exceed $1.5 million to $5 million or more. This includes emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, medications, medical equipment, home modifications, personal care attendants (often 24-hour), therapy, and psychological support.

A negligent security claim seeks to recover these costs from the property owner whose failure to provide reasonable security allowed the violence to occur.

What Is Negligent Security?

Negligent security is a legal theory that holds a property owner liable for injuries caused by crime on their property. The owner does not have to commit the crime. They are liable for their own negligence in failing to prevent it.

To win a negligent security claim, you must prove four things:

1. Duty: The property owner owed you a duty to provide reasonable security.

2. Breach: The owner failed to provide that security (broken locks, no lighting, no cameras, no security staff).

3. Foreseeability: The owner knew (or should have known) that violent crime was foreseeable. Evidence includes prior police reports of crime on the property, crime statistics for the neighborhood, or similar incidents at comparable properties.

4. Causation and damages: The lack of security directly caused or contributed to your injury. You suffered serious, permanent harm (paralysis).

Evidence of foreseeability includes: – Prior police reports of robbery, assault, or shooting on the property – Crime statistics for the neighborhood – Security audit reports – Witness testimony about prior incidents – Expert opinions from security professionals

If a parking garage had multiple robberies and shootings before yours, or if an apartment complex in a high-crime neighborhood had broken gate locks and no cameras, that evidence supports your claim.

What Does a Negligent Security Claim Cover?

Compensation in a negligent security claim includes:

• Emergency and ongoing medical care: surgery, hospitalization, rehabilitation, medications, imaging, specialist visits, and treatment of complications.
• Medical equipment and home modifications: wheelchairs, hospital beds, lifts, accessible bathrooms, ramps, elevators, and other equipment needed for daily living.
• Lifetime personal care: attendants to help with bathing, dressing, toileting, eating, mobility, and household tasks. Many people with paraplegia or quadriplegia require 24-hour care.
• Therapy and rehabilitation: physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, psychological counseling, and pain management.
• Lost income and earning capacity: wages lost during recovery and for life if paralysis prevents you from returning to work.
• Pain and suffering: compensation for physical pain, emotional trauma, loss of enjoyment of life, depression, anxiety, and the psychological impact of permanent disability.
• Loss of consortium: if you are married or in a committed relationship, your partner may recover damages for loss of companionship, intimacy, and support.
• Punitive damages: in cases where the property owner’s conduct was particularly reckless or negligent, you may recover additional damages to punish the owner and deter similar conduct.
• Wrongful-death damages: if the shooting was fatal, your family may pursue a wrongful-death claim for loss of life, funeral expenses, and loss of financial support.

How Do You Prove the Property Owner Is Liable?

Proving negligent security liability requires careful investigation and expert testimony. Your attorney will gather:

• Crime data and police reports: prior incidents of violence on the property, police response records, and crime statistics for the area.
• Security audit reports: professional assessments of the property’s security measures (or lack thereof).
• Witness testimony: statements from people who knew the property, experienced prior incidents, or can testify about the neighborhood’s crime rate.
• Expert opinions: security professionals who can explain what reasonable security would have looked like and whether the property’s security was inadequate.
• Medical evidence: documentation of your paralysis, the cause of the spinal cord injury, your prognosis, and lifetime care needs.
• Life-care planning: expert calculations of the lifetime costs of your medical care, personal care, equipment, and support.

The goal is to show that the property owner knew (or should have known) that violence was foreseeable, failed to take reasonable precautions, and that failure directly caused or contributed to your injury.

How a Negligent Security Claim Works: Step-by-Step

Step 1 – Free case evaluation: You contact the firm and speak with an attorney about what happened, where it happened, and the extent of your injuries. The attorney asks about the property’s security and any prior incidents of violence.

Step 2 – Investigation: The firm investigates the property, gathers police reports, crime data, security records, and witness statements. The firm may hire a security expert to evaluate whether the property’s security was reasonable.

Step 3 – Medical documentation: The firm works with your medical team to document your paralysis, the spinal cord injury, your prognosis, and the lifetime costs of care. A life-care planner may calculate future medical and care expenses.

Step 4 – Demand letter: The firm sends a detailed demand letter to the property owner and their insurance company. It explains the negligent security claim, the evidence of liability, the severity of your injuries, and the damages you are seeking.

Step 5 – Negotiation: The firm negotiates with the insurance company to reach a settlement. Many negligent security cases settle before trial.

Step 6 – Litigation (if necessary): If settlement fails, the firm files a lawsuit, deposes witnesses, exchanges evidence, and prepares for trial.

Step 7 – Resolution: The case resolves by settlement or jury verdict. You receive compensation for your injuries and lifetime care costs.

Most negligent security cases settle, which means faster resolution and less uncertainty than trial.

Timeline and Statute of Limitations: Act Now

Investigation and case development typically take 2–6 months. Demand and negotiation take 1–3 months. If the case settles, you may receive compensation within weeks of reaching an agreement. If litigation is necessary, trial may take 1–3 years or longer depending on court schedules.

In Florida, the statute of limitations for negligence and personal-injury actions is 2 years from the date the cause of action accrues (Fla. Stat. § 95.11). This deadline is strict and cannot be extended. If you do not file a claim within 2 years, you lose your right to pursue compensation forever—regardless of the strength of your case.

If you were shot in another state, that state’s statute of limitations applies. Some states allow 3 years or more; others allow only 1 year. Do not delay. Contact the firm as soon as possible after your injury.

Why CHG Personal Injury Lawyers for Your Negligent Security Claim

Our firm focuses exclusively on catastrophic, permanent injuries like paralysis, quadriplegia, and paraplegia. We do not handle minor injuries or routine cases. Our attorneys are licensed in Florida and admitted to the Florida Bar.

We represent clients nationwide. If you were shot and paralyzed anywhere in the United States, we can help. We communicate in English and Spanish.

We have built relationships with security experts, life-care planners, medical specialists, and other professionals essential to building a strong negligent security claim. We work on a contingency-fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. You bear no financial risk.

We communicate in plain language, answer your questions, and keep you informed every step of the way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Paralysis from a Shooting Lasts a Lifetime

According to the Mayo Clinic, spinal cord injuries do not heal. Once nerve fibers in the spinal cord are damaged by a gunshot, they do not grow back. Paralysis is permanent.

Some recovery of function may occur in the first 6–12 months after injury. However, the loss of function below the level of the injury is typically permanent.

People with paralysis require ongoing medical care for life: management of pain, bladder and bowel function, skin care (to prevent pressure sores), respiratory support if needed, and treatment of complications like infections and blood clots. They also require personal care attendants to help with bathing, dressing, toileting, eating, mobility, and household tasks.

Is Pursuing a Lawsuit Against a Property Owner Worthwhile?

Yes. A negligent security claim can result in substantial compensation that helps cover the catastrophic, permanent costs of paralysis. Property owners carry liability insurance, which means the insurance company (not the property owner personally) typically pays the settlement or judgment.

Pursuing a claim also sends a message to property owners that they must provide reasonable security to protect people from foreseeable violence.

We work on a contingency-fee basis, so there is no financial risk to you. Many people who were shot and paralyzed on unsafe property have successfully recovered compensation through negligent security claims.

If you were shot and left paralyzed on someone else’s property because of inadequate security, you may have a claim against the property owner. The 2-year statute of limitations in Florida is strict. People in your situation contact us regularly to explore their options.

Contact us today for a free case evaluation.