{"id":34984,"date":"2026-08-30T17:47:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T17:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chglawyers.com\/resources\/paralysis-paraplegia-quadriplegia-lawyer\/negligent-security-paralysis-lawyer\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T07:24:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T07:24:53","slug":"negligent-security-paralysis-lawyer","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chglawyers.com\/resources\/paralysis-paraplegia-quadriplegia-lawyer\/negligent-security-paralysis-lawyer\/","title":{"rendered":"Paralysis from Shooting: Property Owner Negligent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Negligent Security | Shooting Injury<\/p>

Shot on Someone Else's Property? The Owner May Be Liable.<\/h1>

When a property owner fails to provide reasonable security, they can be held responsible for injuries from violent crime. We help paralyzed victims and their families pursue claims against negligent property owners.<\/p>

Get a Free Case Evaluation<\/a><\/div>
Get a Free Case Evaluation<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

By CHG Lawyers \u00b7 Published September 22, 2026<\/p>\n\n

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Paralysis from a Shooting: Negligent Security Claims Against Property Owners<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The property had broken locks. No lighting. No cameras. No security staff.<\/p>\n

Now you’re paralyzed. The shooter is criminally responsible. But the property owner may also be legally liable through a civil claim called negligent security<\/strong>\u2014separate from any criminal case.<\/p>\n

This page explains how paralysis from shooting claims work, what they cover, and why pursuing one matters.<\/p>\n

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If you were shot and paralyzed anywhere in the United States, we can help. Talk it through with our team — the first consultation is free, confidential, and carries no obligation.<\/p>

Get a free consultation<\/a><\/div>
Get a free consultation<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Paraplegia vs. Quadriplegia: How Gunshot Location Matters<\/h2>\n

Where the gunshot hit your spine determines your type of paralysis.<\/p>\n

Paraplegia<\/a><\/strong> occurs 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.<\/p>\n

Quadriplegia<\/strong> (also called tetraplegia<\/a>) occurs 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.<\/p>\n

A gunshot to the upper neck (C1\u2013C4) may affect your ability to breathe on your own. A gunshot to the lower neck (C5\u2013C8) may leave some arm function but still paralyze your legs and core.<\/p>\n

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical<\/a> Center (NSCISC), gunshot wounds cause about 12% of all spinal cord injuries in the United States. Severity depends on whether the bullet severs or partially damages the spinal cord and at what level.<\/p>\n

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

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When a Property Owner Is Liable: Understanding Negligent Security<\/h2>\n

Property owners have a legal duty to protect visitors and residents from foreseeable harm\u2014including violent crime.<\/p>\n

If a property has a history of violence, sits in a high-crime area, or nearby properties 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.<\/p>\n

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<\/strong>\u2014a civil lawsuit against the property owner, separate from any criminal case against the shooter.<\/p>\n

Paralysis from a gunshot is catastrophic and permanent.<\/strong> It affects your ability to work, care for yourself, move, and enjoy relationships.<\/p>\n

The lifetime costs are substantial. According to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

A negligent security claim<\/strong> seeks to recover these costs from the property owner whose failure to provide reasonable security allowed the violence to occur.<\/p>\n

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What You Must Prove in a Negligent Security Claim<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

To win a negligent security claim<\/strong>, you must prove four things:<\/p>\n

1. Duty<\/strong>: The property owner owed you a duty to provide reasonable security.<\/p>\n

2. Breach<\/strong>: The owner failed to provide that security (broken locks, no lighting, no cameras, no security staff).<\/p>\n

3. Foreseeability<\/strong>: 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.<\/p>\n

4. Causation and damages<\/strong>: The lack of security directly caused or contributed to your injury. You suffered serious, permanent harm (paralysis).<\/p>\n

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

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.<\/p>\n

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What Does a Negligent Security Claim Cover?<\/h2>\n

Compensation in a negligent security claim<\/strong> includes:<\/p>\n