Suffering a violent injury on someone else’s property is something no one should have to endure. When that violence happened because a property owner ignored known security risks, the impact goes beyond physical harm—it leaves lasting emotional and financial consequences that didn’t have to happen.

At Brian Hodgkiss Injury Lawyers, we’ve spent over two decades standing beside injury victims throughout Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin. We fight to hold negligent property owners accountable and secure the compensation victims deserve.

Contact us today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation.

When a Property Owner’s Negligence Leads to Injury

Property owners throughout Green Bay carry a legal duty to protect visitors, tenants, and guests from foreseeable criminal acts. When they fail that duty by ignoring broken locks, skipping security personnel, or leaving parking lots dark, and someone is seriously injured as a result, the law provides a path to justice. This path comes through a negligent security claim under premises liability.

The central question is foreseeability. Was the violent crime predictable based on the property’s history, surrounding crime statistics, or known security deficiencies? If the answer is yes, and the owner did nothing, that failure can establish legal liability. Evidence of foreseeability includes prior criminal incidents on the property, tenant or employee complaints about safety concerns, broken surveillance systems left unrepaired, and industry standards the owner ignored.

Recognized by Super Lawyers and the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys (NAOPIA), Brian Hodgkiss has built a reputation across Northeast Wisconsin for taking on exactly these cases.

How Do You Prove a Property Owner Knew About Security Risks?

Proving knowledge is often the most critical step in a negligent security case, and it’s where experienced legal investigation makes all the difference. Property owners can be shown to have known (or should have known) about:

• Security risks through police reports documenting prior crimes on or near the property
• Maintenance records showing unreported broken locks or lighting
• Written complaints from tenants or employees
• Prior lawsuits or insurance claims tied to the same location

Our team moves quickly to gather this evidence because security footage is often overwritten within days, and physical conditions at a property can be quietly corrected after an incident. Over 20 years of practice in Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin have taught us exactly where to look and how to build the paper trail that holds property owners accountable. When a property owner claims they had no idea crime was a risk, we know how to prove otherwise.

Can You Sue If You Were Injured in an Apartment Complex or Parking Lot?

Yes. Apartment complexes, parking structures, and parking lots are among the most common locations for negligent security claims in Green Bay. Landlords owe tenants a safe living environment. This includes functioning locks, adequate exterior lighting, and secure entry systems. When those measures are absent, and a violent crime occurs, the property owner can be held liable.

Parking areas can be particularly dangerous, especially when poorly lit or isolated. Shopping centers, hospitals, hotels, and entertainment venues all share a duty to ensure their parking facilities are reasonably safe. If you were injured in a parking lot, parking structure, or apartment complex because the property owner failed to address known risks, a negligent security claim may be available to you.

What Compensation Can You Recover?

When negligent security measures lead to serious injury, victims may pursue compensation that reflects the full extent of their losses. That includes medical expenses, ongoing treatment and rehabilitation costs, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and compensation for physical pain and suffering.

Victims may also recover for psychological trauma resulting from the incident, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and the long-term mental health treatment those conditions require.

These are real, compensable damages under Wisconsin law, and they deserve to be taken seriously. In cases involving particularly egregious negligence or reckless disregard for safety, Wisconsin law may also allow punitive damages designed to punish the property owner and deter similar conduct in the future.

The Security Failures That Lead to Serious Injuries

Inadequate security takes many forms, and each one creates conditions where violent crime becomes more likely. Darkness provides cover for criminals. Poorly lit parking lots, stairwells, and building entrances invite attacks that better lighting would deter. Broken locks, unsecured entry points, and malfunctioning access control systems allow unauthorized individuals to reach victims in spaces they believed were safe. The absence of trained security personnel in high-crime areas or at properties with documented violent histories removes the single most effective deterrent to violent crime.

Failure to conduct background checks on employees, ineffective security policies, neglected landscaping that creates hiding spots, and failure to warn tenants or guests of known dangers all contribute to preventable harm. Property owners who know these risks exist and choose to do nothing are not passive bystanders. They are legally responsible parties.

Common Locations for Negligent Security Injuries in Green Bay

Violent crimes resulting from a lack of proper security measures occur across Green Bay’s neighborhoods and business districts. Apartment complexes and rental properties require landlords to assess and address security based on location and known risks. Examples include student housing near UW-Green Bay and family apartments throughout the city.

Bars and nightclubs in the Washington Street entertainment district and near the stadium district carry a heightened duty to protect patrons from foreseeable violence. This includes measures such as employing trained security personnel and implementing intervention protocols.

Hotels, retail centers like Bay Park Square, gas stations, and convenience stores operating late-night hours, and healthcare facilities, including HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and Bellin Hospital, all share legal obligations to provide reasonable security for the people on their property.

What to Do After a Negligent Security Incident

If you were injured due to inadequate security, the steps you take in the days immediately following can significantly affect your ability to pursue a claim.

First, preserve everything. Do not allow the property to be altered or security footage to be overwritten without a legal hold. Contact law enforcement and obtain copies of all police reports. Document the scene with photographs if it is safe to do so, and identify any witnesses who were present.

Then contact an attorney as quickly as possible. Wisconsin’s statute of limitations generally gives injury victims three years from the date of injury to file a claim, but certain circumstances can shorten that window.

More urgently, security camera footage is frequently overwritten within days, and physical evidence of security failures can disappear after an incident. Early legal action is not just about deadlines, it’s about preserving the evidence that proves your case.

Frequently Asked Questions About Negligent Security Claims

Does My Case Depend on the Criminal Being Caught?

No. A negligent security claim is against the property owner, not the criminal. You do not need a criminal conviction (or even an identified perpetrator) to pursue a civil claim. The focus is on whether the property owner failed their duty of care.

What if the Property Owner Says They Had No Idea Crime Was a Risk?

That claim rarely holds up under investigation. Crime statistics, prior police reports, tenant complaints, and industry standards for similar properties can all establish that the risk was foreseeable, whether the owner chose to acknowledge it or not.

How Does the No Fee Guarantee® Work?

You pay nothing unless we win. There are no upfront costs and no fees if we don’t recover compensation for you. This means there is no financial barrier to finding out whether you have a case.

Contact Our Green Bay Negligent Security Lawyers

You’ve already been through enough. Let the premises liability lawyers at Brian Hodgkiss Injury Lawyers fight for the accountability and compensation you deserve with no upfront cost and no fee unless we win. Contact us or call today for your free case review. Bank on Brian!