Owners of bars or other facilities in New York must ensure that their property is free of hazards that could harm customers. By law, all foreseeable or known dangers must be eliminated to keep customers and employees safe — even when it comes to risks of shootings, stabbings and other violent crimes. If anyone suffers injuries due to owner negligence, victims might have grounds to file premises liability claims.
An incident outside a bar in Niagara Falls might lead to such lawsuits in a civil court. A shooting incident sent two people to the hospital with critical injuries. According to an incident report, law enforcement came across a stationary vehicle with several flat tires and two men with gunshot wounds inside. It is suspected that they tried to drive to the hospital after being shot.
Initial investigations indicate that two men, ages 27 and 25, became involved in an altercation with a third man in the parking lot of a bar. One man was shot in the chest, and the other received a gunshot wound in his head. The latter victim is reportedly in a critical condition. Officers reported that they had identified a suspect, and despite arrangements for the man to report at the police station to turn himself in, he failed to arrive, and he is being sought.
If it can be determined that negligent security at the bar allowed the violent incident to happen, the injured victims might be entitled to pursue financial relief to cover medical expenses and other losses. However, proving negligence could be challenging and not something to tackle without the support and guidance of an experienced New York premises liability attorney. A lawyer will have to show that it was a foreseeable crime and that the premises owner failed to take the necessary steps to provide adequate security.
