Unfortunately, no matter how safe and careful you are – and no matter what area of town you’re in – anybody in Cincinnati could become the victim of a robbery. However, the people who are most at risk are the out-of-towners who come into the city for a short trip. Tourists and visiting business people don’t know Cincinnati, its neighborhoods or its people as well as the locals do, so they might not be very good at judging the danger of different people, places and situations.
Let’s say you’re staying at a downtown hotel, and while you’re walking through the parking area someone approaches you to ask a question. The interaction seemed innocent enough, but suddenly he’s on top of you, grabbing for your wallet or your purse.
Before you know it, the robber has taken out a knife and is demanding all your valuables. You get cut, bruised and suffer a broken arm in the scuffle. You’re also quite rattled emotionally by the surprise of the experience. As you’re struggling to get back to the hotel lobby, the thought occurs to you, “I was on hotel property. Shouldn’t I have been safe?”
The answer to this question is, yes, you should have been safe and the hotel may have neglected in its duties to keep its property secure and keep you free from harm.
Hotels might be liable for crimes committed on their property
A Cincinnati hotel might be liable for a crime committed on its property. The question of liability, however, will largely rely on the circumstances and area surrounding the hotel. For example, if the area around the hotel is experiencing a high rate of crime, then the hotel has a legal responsibility to take reasonable precautions to prevent its guests from becoming the victims of crimes.
Fulfilling its responsibility to keep guests safe might involve the hotel hiring a full-time security guard to watch its parking area and other grounds. Or, maybe the hotel should have installed fencing, better locks, provided warnings to guests or carried out other security measures.
Premises liability claims over hotel security
A personal injury claim about lack of security at a hotel would fall under the category of premises liability law. Your ability to pursue such a claim may depend on a wide variety of factors, such as the hotel’s legal responsibility to keep you safe, the reason you were on the hotel property, and the area surrounding the hotel. If you have questions about whether you could seek financial compensation for injuries suffered during a hotel robbery, a Cincinnati personal injury lawyer can provide the guidance and assistance you need.