Grandmother Attacked in Apartment Complex Gets Justice After Serious Injuries

Woman Attacked in Apartment Mail Center Gets Justice Thanks to BLF

A woman who was senselessly attacked in her apartment complex’s mail center was able to get justice thanks to The Button Law Firm attorneys who specialize in inadequate security.

In April 2018, a Dallas grandmother returned home to her apartment complex after a long workday. Like most of us do upon arriving home, she stopped to check her mail. The mail center of her apartment complex was a poorly designed structure that placed some mailboxes behind a stone wall, which shielded visibility in the area. The grandmother’s mailbox was one of them. When she was putting her key into the mailbox lock, a man grabbed her from behind, seized her crossbody purse, and threw her to the ground. He then dragged her approximately 20 feet outside of the mail center, down several steps, and into the parking lot before she was able to untangle herself from the crossbody purse that the man was after.

The violent attack caused the grandmother to break her hip and tear her rotator cuff, leaving her in severe chronic pain that has completely altered her life. Sadly, this whole incident could have been prevented if the apartment complex had adequate security.

Thankfully, she called our experienced inadequate security attorneys at The Button Law Firm to help with her case. We worked hard to help the grandmother get justice by holding the negligent apartment complex owners and management company accountable for creating the unsafe conditions that led to the attack. The settlement will help our client move forward and cover the expenses related to her extensive medical treatments, future care, and diminished quality of life.

What Is Inadequate Security?

Inadequate security is when a property owner, like the apartment complex owner and management company in this case, fails to implement proper security measures at their place of business. In the year leading up to our client’s attack, the area where her apartment complex was located experienced a 250% increase in assaults and violent crimes.

The owners and management company of the apartment complex should have acknowledged the spike in the neighborhood’s violent crime levels and prioritized the resident’s security. That is what you as a tenant paying rent would want, right? That is what you would expect them to do. Instead, they did nothing. They ignored the numerous safety incidents and kept operating business as usual. They failed the residents, like the grandmother, who paid rent to live there.

How Apartment Complexes Can Prevent Similar Attacks

The frustrating part of this case is that the attack on the grandmother was preventable if the apartment complex owners and management company had cared about the safety of their residents and taken a few steps to improve the complex’s security.

A few ways the complex could have done this:

• Complete a security vulnerability assessment to identify where it is easy for nonresidents with bad intentions to access the property, what areas could be unsafe for residents, and any other dangerous scenarios. This assessment would also provide recommended solutions. In this case, safety features like regulated door locks and proper lighting would have made it a safer environment, plus the addition of security cameras for monitoring the area would likely have served as a deterrent for the man from entering the building.
• Resident safety meetings and communications are other helpful tools to convey useful safety information to those living in an apartment complex. Meetings like this can help residents form neighborhood watch groups to keep an eye out for unknown visitors or be more aware of their surroundings when venturing to use apartment amenities like a mail center or gym. These meetings also help to ensure that the complex’s employees are aware of safety issues and know how to handle them.
• Provide basic safety measures such as fencing around the premises and restricted gates to ensure that only residents and authorized visitors can access the complex.

Schedule a Free Consultation with Our Texas Inadequate Security Lawyers

If you or a loved one was injured because of inadequate security at an apartment complex, event venue, or business, contact our knowledgeable personal injury attorneys at The Button Law Firm for a free consultation. We understand how overwhelming it can be to deal with medical appointments and other expenses while recovering from an injury caused by a landlord’s or management company’s failure to keep you safe. Our expert team can help you, just like the grandmother in the inadequate security case described above. All of our attorneys at The Button Law Firm are recognized on the prestigious Texas Super Lawyers list, and we are ready to guide you after a traumatizing incident and determine the best path forward. We work on contingency, meaning we don’t charge you or collect any upfront fees to get started on your case. Call us at 214-699-4409 or fill out a contact form for a free consultation.