If you were attacked, assaulted, or robbed at a store, gas station, apartment complex, or nightclub in Mississippi, the criminal may not be the only person responsible. You may have a premises liability case against the property owner for your personal injury or a loved one’s wrongful death.
Under Mississippi law, property owners have a legal duty to provide reasonable security to protect their customers and guests—especially in areas where crime is foreseeable. When they fail, and someone gets hurt, it may be considered negligent security.
Picture this: Late one night, a young woman returned to her apartment in Jackson after a shift at the hospital. The parking lot was dimly lit. The gate to her complex had been broken for months, and there were no cameras in sight. As she walked to her door, someone attacked her from behind.
No witnesses. No video. Just trauma—and silence.
Her story isn’t unique. If you have been attacked, assaulted, robbed, or seriously injured on someone else’s property, Mississippi law may give you the right to sue the property owner—not just the criminal. This is called a negligent security claim, and it allows victims to hold the appropriate people accountable for your injuries and victimization.
What Is Negligent Security?
Negligent security a premises liability claim. It applies when a business or property owner fails to provide basic safety measures to keep people safe and protect guests and tenants from foreseeable crime.
Common examples of negligent security include:
- No security guards or personnel in high-risk areas
- Broken or missing locks, gates, or fences
- Burned-out or poor lighting in parking lots or stairwells
- No working surveillance cameras
- Ignoring prior crimes or police reports
- Failure to respond to previous criminal activity on the property
Property owners do not have to guarantee your safety—but they must take reasonable steps to protect you. When they don’t, and someone gets hurt, they can be held responsible.
A victim of crime on another person’s property or business does not have to prove the owner knew you would be hurt—only that the owner should have known someone could be harmed or a victim of a crime on the property. That’s the standard of foreseeability.
A Real Mississippi Case: Gas Station Attack After Dark
A man was ambushed and beaten at a gas station in Central Mississippi. The particular gas station had been the site of multiple assaults, but management did nothing: no cameras, no lighting, and no employees were visible outside. It was not just a random act of violence that caused injury to the victim; it was a failure to act in the face of known danger. That is negligent security.
Where Negligent Security Claims Commonly Arise
Negligent security incidents resulting in serious physical harm to victims often occur at:
- Apartment complexes with a history of assaults, break-ins, gun violence, or trespassers
- Gas stations or convenience stores open late with no staff presence, working cameras, or dim/insufficient lighting
- Nightclubs or bars that failed to provide trained security staff
- Nightclubs or bars where fights and assaults are common, but no security is posted
- Hotels or motels that ignore broken locks or allow trespassers or non-guests to loiter
- Shopping centers and parking garages where prior criminal incidents were ignored
- Shopping centers and parking garages with poor or dim lighting and/or malfunctioned or no surveillance cameras
If you or a loved one suffered serious physical injury or death in a place such as one of the above examples—or anywhere the owner failed to protect you—you may have a legal claim for money damages.
What You Must Prove in a Mississippi Negligent Security Case
To win a negligent security case in Mississippi, the legal team at Coxwell & Associates, PLLC, will work to prove:
- The property owner owed you a duty of care (you were legally on the property)
- The property owner breached that duty by failing to take reasonable security measures
- A criminal act occurred that was foreseeable based on past incidents
- Youor a loved one suffered serious physical injury or death as a result
These are not easy cases. Businesses often deny they had any warning or responsibility. Property owners often claim, “We didn’t know this would happen.”
But they often should have known—and we’ll work to prove it. This is why you need Coxwell & Associates’ experienced lawyers on your side.
What Counts as “Foreseeable” Crime?
One of the biggest questions in negligent security cases is: Was the crime foreseeable?
Mississippi law looks at whether similar crimes occurred before your attack. Mississippi courts often consider, and evidence we might use, include:
- Past police reports or 911 calls at or near the property, or crime maps
- Complaints from tenants, employees, or customers prior to your injury
- Broken security equipment left unrepaired
- Whether similar crimes happened in the area
- Prior lawsuits or incident reports
- Testimony from prior victims who were injured at the same location
- Whether the owner had actual or constructive notice of dangerous conditions
If the property owner knew about a pattern of crime and did nothing to improve safety, they may be held liable for your injuries. We don’t need to prove they predicted your attack—just that they ignored the warning signs.
Types of Injuries in Negligent Security Cases
Sadly, the consequences of property owner negligence can be devastating. Case examples include:
- Gunshot wounds from parking lot shootings
- Stabbings or beatings during nightclub or bar altercations
- Sexual assaults in poorly secured apartment buildings or hotels/motels or parking garages
- Beatings / assaults by trespassers in housing complexes or parking garages / parking lots
- Sexual assault at hotels or poorly secured apartments or parking garages / parking lots
- Robbery victims attacked near ATM machines or stairwells
No one should suffer serious injury—or worse—because a business refused to invest in safety. Victims of serious physical harm or death deserve compensation, justice, accountability, and a path to healing for the injured person, or the deceased’s loved ones.
Compensation in a Mississippi Negligent Security Case
If you have been hurt due to negligent security, you may be entitled to compensation for:
- Medical bills and future care; ER visits, hospital bills, therapy, and long-term care
- Lost income and future earnings / diminished earning capacity
- Pain, suffering, and emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life
- Punitive damages in especially reckless cases
The Attorneys at Coxwell & Associates, PLLC, will fight to recover every dollar you deserve—and make sure your voice is heard.
Why You Need Coxwell & Associates on Your Side
Negligent security cases require fast action, thorough investigation, and courtroom experience. At Coxwell & Associates, we have been representing Mississippi personal injury victims for over 40 years.
We are not just any law firm. We are not a general practice law firm. At Coxwell & Associates, the Attorneys focus their time and expertise on specific types of cases and have built a reputation of fighting hard for victims across Mississippi—including in complex negligent security cases resulting in serious physical injury or death to the victim.
Our team knows how to:
- Investigate property records and police reports
- Subpoena security footage and internal reports before they are erased
- Subpoena 911 logs, incident reports, and camera footage before it is overwritten
- Work with experts in crime prevention and building safety
- Work with security experts to assess whether basic precautions were ignored
- Investigate crime patterns near the location
- Hold big companies accountable for turning a blind eye to danger
- Present strong evidence in court to prove the owner was negligent
The Attorneys at Coxwell & Associates, PLLC, are not afraid to take on apartment corporations, national chains, or insurance giants. We have done it before—and we will do it again.
Let’s Talk. Your Consultation Is Free.
If you suffered serious physical injury, or if a loved one died on another person’s property because a property owner failed to keep you safe, time is of the essence. Do not wait—evidence disappears fast, and Mississippi law limits the time you have to file a claim.
📞 Call (601) 265-7766 or contact us online for a free, private case review.
You or your loved one did not deserve to be put in danger. Let our attorneys and legal team at Coxwell & Associates, PLLC, help you take the next step toward healing and justice. We will fight for your recovery—and your right to feel safe.