{"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":"2026-09-01T08:02:59","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T08:02:59","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 Claim"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Negligent Security | Shooting Injury<\/p>

Shot on Someone Else's Property? You May Have a Claim Against the Owner<\/h1>

When a property owner fails to provide reasonable security and you are injured in a shooting, they may be held responsible. CHG Personal Injury Lawyers focuses exclusively on catastrophic injury claims nationwide.<\/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 August 31, 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 for your injury and lifetime care costs through a claim called negligent security<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This page explains how negligent security claims work, what they cover, and why pursuing one matters for your future.<\/p>\n

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You may have a claim against the property owner if you were shot and paralyzed due to inadequate security. People in your situation contact us regularly. Talk it through with our team \u2014 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\n
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Paralysis from a Gunshot: Paraplegia vs. Quadriplegia<\/h2>\n

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

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

Quadriplegia<\/strong> (also called tetraplegia<\/a>) 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.<\/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. How severe it is 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: Negligent Security Claims<\/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 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.<\/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 Is Negligent Security?<\/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