Get Personal Representation After a Negligent Security Incident
When a crime happens at a shopping center, apartment complex, hotel, parking lot, or other commercial property, the immediate focus is often on the criminal. But many such crimes are preventable if property owners maintain adequate security measures.
Property owners have a legal duty to provide reasonable security for visitors and tenants. When they fail to do so through inadequate lighting, missing locks, lack of trained security personnel, broken surveillance systems, or other gaps in protection they may be liable for injuries resulting from crimes committed on their property.
At Herrera PLLC, Jonathan Herrera represents victims of violent crimes and assaults that occur due to negligent or inadequate security. Before becoming an attorney, he spent more than a decade handling high-exposure casualty claims as an insurance adjuster. He later worked as an insurance defense attorney before founding Herrera PLLC. That experience provides insight into how property owners, security companies, and insurers assess liability and attempt to minimize exposure in these cases.
For a broader look at the serious injury cases Herrera PLLC handles, explore the firm’s Serious Injuries practice.
Why Are Negligent Security Cases So Serious in Houston?
Houston’s size and commercial activity mean thousands of properties, shopping centers, apartment complexes, hotels, office buildings, parking facilities, and retail locations-host visitors every day.
Areas such as Midtown, Uptown, the Galleria district, Downtown Houston, and major shopping corridors along Westheimer, Bissonnet, and Post Oak Boulevard see constant foot traffic. Poorly secured properties in these areas create environments where criminals operate with limited risk of detection or intervention.
When security is inadequate, victims may suffer severe injuries from assault, robbery, sexual assault, and other violent crimes. The psychological trauma often lasts long after physical wounds heal.
What Causes Most Negligent Security Incidents?
Every property is different, but certain security failures appear repeatedly in Houston.
Common causes include:
- Insufficient or absent outdoor lighting
- Broken or missing locks on doors and gates
- Non-functional or disabled alarm systems
- Lack of trained security personnel
- Absent or malfunctioning surveillance cameras
- Poor lighting in parking areas and stairwells
- Inadequate access controls
- Failure to respond to prior incidents or complaints
- Inadequate staff training on security procedures
- Failure to warn tenants and visitors of known risks
- Unsecured entrances and exits
- Lack of security escort services
Investigation into the specific security failures is often essential to building a strong case.
What Injuries Commonly Result From Negligent Security Incidents?
Crimes committed on inadequately secured property can cause life-altering injuries.
Common injuries include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Broken bones and fractures
- Internal injuries
- Severe lacerations and wounds
- Permanent disabilities
- Psychological trauma and PTSD
- Emotional distress
- Loss of sense of safety
- Sexual assault injuries
- Permanent scarring and disfigurement
Many victims require ongoing medical care, mental health treatment, and rehabilitation following violent crime.
Why Are Negligent Security Cases Often More Complex Than Other Injury Claims?
Most negligent security cases involve multiple parties with overlapping responsibilities.
A single property may be owned by one entity, managed by another, and serviced by a security company under contract. When a crime occurs, determining who knew about security vulnerabilities, who had the ability to fix them, and who failed to act becomes central to the claim.
Potentially responsible parties may include:
- Property owners
- Property management companies
- Security service providers
- Individual security contractors
- Employers of security personnel
- Equipment manufacturers
- Maintenance contractors
- Third-party vendors
Identifying every potentially liable party often requires careful analysis of contracts, maintenance records, prior incident reports, and security protocols.
How Does Jonathan Herrera’s Background Help Negligent Security Victims
Few attorneys have seen liability assessment from as many angles as Jonathan Herrera.
Before representing injured clients, he spent years evaluating casualty claims for insurance companies. During that time, he reviewed countless claims involving premises liability, security failures, and violent crime on commercial properties. He later worked in insurance defense litigation, where he gained firsthand knowledge of how property owners, security companies, and insurers investigate these claims, assess fault, and develop legal strategies.
Today, he uses that experience to represent victims of crimes on negligently secured properties.
Learn more about Jonathan Herrera’s background, legal experience, and insurance industry knowledge.
Who May Be Responsible for a Negligent Security Incident?
Property owners are not automatically liable for every crime that occurs on their premises.
However, they may be held responsible when they know or should know about security risks and fail to take reasonable steps to protect visitors and tenants.
Depending on the circumstances, potentially responsible parties may include:
- Property owners
- Property management companies
- Security service providers
- Security contractors
- Employers of security personnel
- Maintenance companies
- Prior victims who reported unreported security concerns
- Equipment suppliers
A thorough investigation often identifies multiple parties whose actions or inactions contributed to the incident.
What Compensation May Be Available After a Negligent Security Incident?
Texas law may allow victims of crimes on inadequately secured property to seek compensation for losses resulting from the incident.
Depending on the circumstances, damages may include:
Economic Damages
- Medical expenses
- Future medical treatment and therapy costs
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Out-of-pocket expenses related to the incident
Non-Economic Damages
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Permanent scarring and disfigurement
- Loss of sense of safety
Wrongful Death Damages
When a crime on negligently secured property results in a fatality, surviving family members may be entitled to pursue damages for financial losses, funeral expenses, and other harms recognised under Texas law.
Why Early Investigation Matters After a Negligent Security Incident
Critical evidence can disappear quickly after a crime on a commercial property.
Surveillance footage may be overwritten or deleted. Security records, maintenance logs, prior incident reports, and witness statements become harder to obtain over time. The property may be altered or repaired, destroying evidence of the security gaps that existed at the time of the incident.
Beginning an investigation promptly helps preserve electronic records, collect witness statements while memories are fresh, and document the condition of the property and security systems.
At Herrera PLLC, every serious injury case is approached with the expectation that it may ultimately need to be presented before a jury.
When a Crime on Negligently Secured Property Results in a Fatality
Some violent crimes at properties with inadequate security result in loss of life.
Families facing such loss often struggle with grief, financial hardship, and the knowledge that the tragedy may have been preventable. In these circumstances, surviving family members may have the right to pursue a wrongful death claim against responsible parties.
Learn more about wrongful death representation for families who have lost a loved one.
Speak Directly With Jonathan Herrera About Your Case
If you or a loved one was injured by a crime on a negligently secured commercial property in Houston, Herrera PLLC is available to discuss your situation.
Jonathan Herrera personally handles every matter and works directly with clients throughout the case.
Learn more about Herrera PLLC’s approach to personal representation and trial preparation.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Negligent security claims can arise at many types of properties, including apartment complexes, hotels, bars, nightclubs, shopping centers, parking garages, office buildings, convenience stores, and event venues. Any property owner that invites people onto the premises may have a duty to provide reasonable security measures under the circumstances.
Foreseeability refers to whether the property owner knew or should have known that criminal activity was likely to occur. Prior crimes on or near the property, repeated complaints from tenants, or obvious security deficiencies may indicate that the risk of harm was foreseeable.
Important evidence may include surveillance footage, security system records, maintenance logs, prior incident reports, witness statements, police reports, security contracts, property inspection records, and expert analysis of industry security standards.
Yes. If a security company contracted to provide services failed to perform its duties adequately, or if individual security personnel failed to respond to threats, the security company may be liable for resulting injuries.
Yes, under certain circumstances. Property owners have a duty to maintain reasonable security for visitors and tenants. If inadequate security allowed a crime to occur, the property owner may be liable for resulting injuries.