The Hardison &
Associates, LLP firm developed this website to provide
information on the responsibility of property owners to
ensure the safety of their premises and the rights of
innocent victims who have been injured on property due to
inadequate security provisions. Our firm has been
representing personal injury victims throughout North
Carolina for over twenty years, and we focus on helping
those who have suffered physical, emotional and mental
trauma due to medical malpractice, catastrophic accidents,
wrongful death, and premises liability.
The founders of the firm, Kenneth L. Hardison and
Associates, are supported by a team of legal
professionals who share a commitment to protecting
client’s rights. Victims of violent crime often have their
trauma compounded by the realization that their injury
could have been prevented had the proper security
precautions been in place. Hardison & Associates firm have
successfully proven the negligence of property owners and
managers whose security lapses have resulted in serious
injury to clients. Our attorneys help to ensure that our
clients recover fair compensation for the suffering they
have endured.
Thousands are injured every year due to property owners
and managers who fail to provide adequate security. In
1998, the United States Occupational Safety and Health
Administration made recommendations to protect the health
and safety of employees and patrons. These recommendations
included increasing staff during high-risk periods,
reducing store hours, installing adequate lighting, drop
safes and silent alarms, and creating bullet-resistant
enclosures to protect store clerks. Unfortunately, many
property owners and operators ignore these recommendations
and their patrons and employees may suffer the
consequences.
Building owners and management are responsible for
providing adequate security to their visitors, customers,
tenants and employees in:
- Retail
stores,
- Schools
and universities,
- Parking
lots,
-
Businesses,
- Hotels,
- Clubs,
- Arenas,
and
-
Apartments.
Catastrophic injury, assault, rape, murder and robbery are
crimes against individuals, families and society. The
criminal justice system calls for serious punishment of
the perpetrator. Victims of crime are can file personal
injury lawsuits against the offenders and other
responsible parties through the civil justice system.
While criminal law seeks to deter and punish those found
guilty of behavior against society, the aim of civil suits
is to prove that offenders failed in their obligation to
provide reasonably safe property conditions or to warn of
the risk of unsafe conditions. Once liability is proven,
the offender is responsible to pay the victim damages that
may include medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of
current and potential wages, and other damages. In
addition to compensating the crime victim, the concept of
civil suits and liability helps to deter the wrongdoer
from allowing the situation to happen again.
While many businesses and homeowners have premises
liability insurance, it may be not completely cover the
damages suffered by the victim. In these cases, the
property owner is responsible for the additional damages.
It is important to remember that if an insurance company
does make a settlement offer, it is your best interests to
consult with an attorney who specializes in premises
liability. Insurance is a business, and like any business
– the priority is profit. We advise personal injury
victims to decline further discussions when approached by
insurance representatives offering a settlement. It is
important to have representation from a legal expert who
makes protection of the injured victim’s rights the
highest priority.
If you have been injured in a criminal act that may have
occurred because of inadequate security, the Hardison and
Associates firm can help you prove your premises liability
claim and receive the compensation to which you are
entitled. We have access to medical and security experts,
legal knowledge and negotiating skills, and the compassion
to help you. While compensation cannot erase the emotional
and physical trauma of crime victims and their families,
it may provide some financial relief and satisfaction in
knowing that justice has been done.
Please call Hardison & Associates, “the people’s law firm” to
discuss your situation and how we can help you recover
damages through settlement or litigation. We can be
reached at 1-800-434-8399 or
via e-mail.
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