Is my school liable if I was attacked on campus?

A student or visitor attacked a college campus might have a negligence action against the college. In a developing area of premises liability law, courts have found entities such as universities liable for attacks because they did not exercise reasonable care in preventing victims from being harmed by a third person. In general, a school must provide adequate security and not permit people to loiter. In a case involving a college campus, a court would look at the facts and ask whether similar attacks had occurred previously in the same area. If so, the court would ask what security precautions the college had taken, and might find that the steps taken were insufficient, holding the college liable.

Regardless of the school’s status as a public entity – which are normally granted immunity from tort liability akin to that granted to law enforcement agencies –schools and the private security companies with which they contract to patrol the campus do not enjoy such immunity. Schools have the obligation to take reasonable steps to provide security on their premises, even if they have not adopted any rules or regulations prohibiting assaults.

If you or a loved one have been injured while on a school campus, and believe that your injury could have been prevented by the property owner implementing better security measures, you need an attorney that has experience in dealing with negligent security claims by your side to make sure you receive all the benefits and compensation you are entitled to as a result of your injury. You need experienced and aggressive attorneys like Dan Newlin Injury Attorneys to help you get everything to which you may be entitled. Call us at 800-257-1822 for a free consultation and to have all your questions answered regarding your injury.