If you have been robbed, assaulted, raped, or otherwise attacked - including stabbed or shot - you have probably incurred some large expenses as a result of the attack. Medical bills can pile up, and if you have to miss any significant time from work the lost wages can quickly accumulate. In most instances, even though your attacker is directly at fault for causing your injuries, you will have difficulty collecting money in a lawsuit against the attacker because that person likely has few assets of value. However, other parties besides the attacker may be liable for your injuries.

Property owners have a duty to prevent reasonably foreseeable criminal assaults. This means that property owners must take reasonable steps to keep safe people who come on the property. No property owner can prevent every sort of attack, and each case depends upon its own facts. In some cases, the property owner simply must keep reasonably lit the parts of the property that are open to the public.

However in other instances, a property owner has a duty to provide greater security, such as a security guard or video surveillance system. This is usually based on the presence of past criminal attacks on the premises. In some instances - such as at a popular nightclub - the property owner benefits from the consumption of alcohol on the premises, and should anticipate that fights and other violent acts may occur. As a result, nightclubs often have a relatively high level of security. Where a security guard acts negligently and fails to properly manage a potentially violent situation, the security guard and the property owner may be found liable for resulting injuries.

Other premises can be dangerous due to the fact that there are relatively few people around, such as an empty parking lot at night. Landlords must take reasonable steps to protect apartment occupants, which can include trimming bushes where criminals could hide, installing door and window locks, and maintaining a security gate at the entrance to an apartment complex. Where the property owner knows of a person's dangerous tendencies, or where a person has made specific threats of violence, the property owner - including its employees - must take reasonable steps to protect other people from the violent individual.

In addition to recovering your lost wages and medical expenses, you are entitled to compensation for the pain and suffering caused by your injuries. In cases stemming from a physical attack, these damages can be very significant. A traumatic attack can cause severe psychological issues, and a severe injury can lead to tremendous ongoing pain. An experienced premises liability attorney can compellingly present these personal injuries to a jury, demonstrating their strong emotional component.

At Cohn & Smith, we have represented many individuals in inadequate security premises liability cases. In some instances, criminal assaults result in death, and we will represent the family of the deceased individual and provide guidance regarding the intricacies of Florida's wrongful death laws. If you or someone you know has been injured in a criminal assault, contact our experienced Fort Lauderdale attack victim attorneys today for a free consultation at (954) 522-4600.