Hotel Negligent Security Lawyer

Houston Negligent Hotel Security Attorney

Get Representation from a Billion-Dollar Law Firm at No Cost to You

No one deserves to be the victim of a crime, especially when they are away from home on vacation or on business travel. Our Houston negligent hotel security attorneys have represented clients who have been attacked, robbed, or sexually assaulted while staying at hotels in and around the Houston area.

We understand the physical and emotional toll that these crimes can take on victims and their families, and we are committed to fighting for justice and the positive outcome victims need and deserve. Our team at Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law has recovered over $1 billion for our clients, and we invite you to contact us to see how we can help and to find out if we are the right law firm for you.

We work on a contingency fee basis, which means that you won’t owe us anything unless you have a successful recovery. Don’t wait to get started on your case – call us today at (713) 973-8888 or toll-free 1 (800) 444-5000.

Get Immediate Help

How Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law Can Help You Now

Free Legal Advice. Contact our office to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. If you are unable to come to our office, we can come to you or have a consultation done remotely. We will patiently answer all of your questions, explain your legal rights and demystify the hotel negligent security process. We want to learn from you about the crime you had to endure and how it caused your injuries. If the attack at the negligent hotel resulted in the wrongful death of a loved one, we will guide you through the process and help you recover additional compensation.

Medical Treatment Now. After you’ve received emergency medical treatment, you may still be feeling the effects of your assault and need additional medical care and therapy. We work with a network of doctors and specialists and can refer you to experts in personal injury medicine who will wait to get paid until your case is over if necessary. We regularly attend medical appointments with our clients and are in constant contact with their providers to make sure they are receiving the best care possible.

We’ll Take Care of the Paperwork. As a victim of a crime in a hotel, the last thing you want to worry about is all the paperwork associated with your injury. Insurance forms, reports, letters from the hotel, and medical forms are piling up – not to mention the phone calls that keep coming in. You’re worried about going back to work, getting the kids to school, and paying bills – all while you’re in pain and trying to recover from your injuries.

We will handle everything, including talking to your employer if needs be. We will make sure that any adversarial party communicates through us, not hounding you or trying to get you to say something that may hurt your case. We will also file any necessary court documents to protect your claim. Just say, “Talk to my lawyer,” and we’ll handle the rest.

Building a Strong Case from Day One. Many hotel negligence cases are time sensitive and require the gathering of factual and expert evidence to support your claim before the evidence is destroyed or tampered with. We request copies of all surveillance videos and any photos taken at the scene. We also interview witnesses while the memory of the crime and the events leading up to it are still fresh in their minds.

We will do a full investigation, including getting the history and background of the perpetrator if their identity is known. Police reports, incident reports, and all reported crimes that happened at or near the hotel or motel become part of an ironclad case against the defendants that will be trial-ready if we need to file a lawsuit.

Maximize Your Settlement. When you are medically stable and ready to settle your claim, we will negotiate for the maximum settlement that you need and deserve. You are entitled to a reasonable and fair compensation for the harm you received, the pain and suffering you had to endure, and all past and future financial losses as a result of the negligence of the hotel, their lack of security, and their failure to protect you.

If the hotel is unwilling to offer full and fair compensation, your case will likely end in a trial. The thought of a bench trial or a jury trial can be daunting, and we will help you to prepare by carefully explaining the trial process if necessary.

If you or a loved one has been seriously hurt or injured due to the negligence of a hotel’s security, then contact Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law and speak with an attorney who has the knowledge, experience, and skill to get you the compensation you need. Call (713) 973-8888 or toll-free 1 (800) 444-5000 today.

How To Sue a Houston Hotel for Negligent Security

If you are filing a lawsuit against a hotel or seeking damages from the hotel’s insurance company, you will need to follow the steps below to prevail.

Step 1: Establish a Duty

In a negligent hotel security case, a victim suing a hotel for negligence must establish:

• That the hotel owes a duty to protect patrons from the criminal acts of third parties
• That the duty to protect was breached by the hotel; and
• That the damages to the victim were proximately caused by the breach of this duty.

Step 2: Prove That a Duty Existed

Was the victim injured on a property that was under the control of the hotel owner?

The owner of a hotel that controls the premises has a duty to use ordinary care to protect patrons from criminal acts of third parties if the property owner knows or has reason to know of an unreasonable and foreseeable risk of harm to hotel patrons and guests.

The Texas Supreme Court has provided the following factors to consider in determining if a criminal act by a third party was foreseeable on or near the premises of a hotel:

Proximity

For a risk to be foreseeable, there must be evidence of criminal activity within the specific area at issue, either on the landowner’s property or close by. For instance, to prove that a hotel owner is liable for injuries, the owner needs to anticipate criminal conduct on the property, meaning, there must be evidence that other crimes have occurred on the property or in its immediate vicinity. Criminal activity occurring farther from the hotel’s property may have less significance, because crime rates vary within a large geographic area.

That does not mean that evidence of distant criminal activity can never indicate that crime is approaching the hotel owner’s property, but evidence of distant crimes must be especially strong and needs to show that the risk of criminal conduct on the hotel owner’s property is not merely approaching, but has reached a level to make crime more likely.

Recency and Frequency 

Foreseeability also depends on how recently and how often criminal conduct has occurred in the past. If a significant amount of criminal activity has occurred within a short time period, then that evidence will strengthen the claim that a particular crime was foreseeable.

On the other hand, if there is no evidence of crimes over a certain time period, then that evidence may weaken the claim that the crime suffered by the hotel victim was likely to happen.

Similarity

If there are previous crimes on the hotel premises and in the vicinity of the hotel, the crimes must be similar to the crime suffered by the hotel victim.

For example, if the only crimes in and around the hotel were five prior incidents of vandalism, and the hotel victim suffered a knife attack, the stabbing of a hotel guest may not be considered foreseeable because the prior crimes were not similar.

In contrast, if the previous criminal activity in or around the vicinity of the hotel were assaults and other violent crimes, then a stabbing may be considered foreseeable since the crimes do not need to be identical but, rather, similar.

Publicity

The publicity surrounding the previous crimes helps determine whether a landowner knew or should have known that a crime was foreseeable. A hotel owner usually has actual knowledge of previous crimes occurring on the premises through property incident reports or police reports.

Having actual notice of past incidents of crime strengthens the claim that future crimes are foreseeable. If crimes in the area are frequently highlighted in the news, then a hotel owner would be expected to know the crime rate and the types of crimes in the area of the hotel.

Since our justice system is adversarial by design, there is an inevitable measure of tension between the parties involved in a lawsuit. Having the right attorney can mean the difference between winning your case with a maximum compensation or losing your case, in which case you receive nothing.

Injured victims of crimes in hotels have many rights and options available to them. If you have been the victim of a crime in a hotel, contact a Houston negligent hotel security lawyer today to schedule a free consultation by calling (713) 973-8888 or toll-free 1 (800) 444-5000.

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions by Our Hotel Negligence Security Attorneys

When you check into a hotel, you have a reasonable expectation of safety. Hotels are obligated to provide a certain level of security to protect guests from foreseeable dangers. If a hotel fails to provide adequate security and a guest is injured as a result, the hotel can be held liable for negligent security.

Below are answers to some common questions victimized hotel guests have after they’ve been injured when a negligent hotel failed to adequately protect them.

What is a hotel negligent security lawsuit in Texas?

A hotel negligent security lawsuit is a premises liability lawsuit that arises when a hotel guest or “invitee” is harmed due to the hotel’s failure to provide adequate security against the criminal acts of others. To succeed on such a claim, the injured plaintiff must prove that the crime was unreasonable and foreseeable. In other words, the hotel ultimately failed to prevent an injury that should have been anticipated.

When should I file my hotel negligent security case?

The deadline or statute of limitations for filing your hotel negligent security case in Texas is two years from the date of the injury. However, always speak directly to an attorney as soon as possible to learn the exact deadlines that apply to your potential claims.

What are some common types of crimes committed in a hotel negligent security case in Texas?

People fall victim to typically three types of criminal acts in hotel negligent security cases:

Assault – A person commits an assault if they intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly cause bodily injury to another person. Texas Penal Code 22.01

Aggravated Assault – A person commits an aggravated assault if they commit assault and cause serious bodily injury to the other person or use or exhibit a deadly weapon during the commission of the assault. Texas Penal Code 22.02

Robbery – A person commits robbery if in the course of committing theft they intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly cause bodily injury to another or threaten or place another in fear of imminent bodily injury or death. Texas Penal Code 29.02

What is considered fair and reasonable compensation?

Compensation is fair and reasonable when you have been awarded enough money to protect yourself against the consequences of your injury. The amount of compensation you may be entitled to will depend on the severity of your injuries, the amount of economic damages you have incurred, and the amount of pain and suffering you have endured.

What types of experts are needed to win a hotel negligent security case?

Hotel negligent security cases require high-quality, independent, and respected experts to testify and provide precise evidence on crime statistics, crime reconstruction, and your past and future economic losses. In addition, medical experts are needed to describe the injury and provide a diagnosis and a prognosis for past and future pain and suffering, and any future medical treatment.

How can I check the crime rate in the area of my hotel?

Before you plan your trip and make hotel reservations, you can check for safe or dangerous areas by using free websites such as https://spotcrime.com/ and https://crimegrade.org/

Can I handle the case on my own?

Insurance companies love to undervalue claims. They know that if they can get you to accept a smaller amount of money than what your case is actually worth, they will save themselves a lot of money, which is unfortunate, because the money is there for you. The insurance company isn’t looking out for your best interests like a skilled negligent hotel security attorney would.

The insurance company will also try to take your deposition. This is their opportunity to grill you under oath about the accident, your injuries, and your medical treatment. They will be looking for any inconsistencies in your story that they can use against you later on. That is why it is so important to have an experienced personal injury attorney by your side during this process. We will be there to make sure that the insurance company does not take advantage of you and that your rights are fully protected.

Unfortunately, hotel owners sometimes cut corners when it comes to security, to save money. The business model of some budget hotels and motels is to locate their hotels near major thoroughfares and in low-income and high-crime areas. As a result, innocent people can become victims of crimes such as assault, robbery, and sexual assault, permanently disrupting their lives.

If You Have Been Victimized in a Hotel, Get Help from a Houston Negligent Hotel Security Lawyer

If you have been victimized in a hotel, you may be entitled to compensation. Our qualified Houston negligent hotel security lawyers can help you navigate the legal process, and if the insurance company refuses to make a fair settlement offer, we have the experience and the resources to file a lawsuit and take your case to trial.

Call (713) 973-8888 or toll-free 1 (800) 444-5000 or use our online contact form to see how we can take your case from Confusion to Compensation.