Understanding Prior Crimes in an Area | Personal Injury Lawsuit

Understanding Prior Crimes in an Area Can Help a Notice Argument in Negligence Cases

OCTOBER 4, 2015:

For accident and injury lawyers helping those in Miami and the rest of South Florida, the ability to gather evidence prior to a lawsuit is of the utmost importance.  Depending upon the type of case, the nature of the investigation differs drastically.  Car accident cases certainly involve different needs than a typical slip and fall case.  Similarly, maritime cases involving cruise ships entail different elements than that of a negligent security case.

Being an attorney that helps those hurt in negligence accidents, evidence gathered before filing a lawsuit is a top priority.  Specifically, for negligence cases, including negligent security, obtaining police Crime Grid Reports facilitates plaintiff lawyers’ ability to satisfy their burden of proof.  In general, a Crime Grid Report is a spreadsheet or database that tracks criminal incidents in a given area.  Additionally, this spreadsheet separates each incident by the type of crime allegedly committed in a particular area.  While each jurisdiction tracks and documents its incidents differently, every grid report can provide helpful information to prove a negligent security case.

In all negligence cases, establishing “notice” of a dangerous condition is vital.  For premises liability and negligent security cases, “notice” of prior criminal incidents can help prove a plaintiff’s case.  Ultimately, public records request pursuant to Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes enables any person to obtain a Crime Grid Report.  Ultimately, the public records request should specify a geographical location near the subject premises, as well as narrowed down based upon the type of incident.  Through this process, a prospective plaintiff and his or her attorney can determine the propensity of criminal incidents occurring at or near the defendant’s premises.

Below is a sample page from a Crime Grid Report, which specifies the type of crime, date/time of dispatch, and address of the crime.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR A LARGER VIEW.

Grid Report

 

 

INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT?  CLICK HERE TO CONTACT OUR AVENTURA PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS.

 

Brandon Stein

Chief Executive Officer

Brandon Stein is a Florida based trial attorney born in Queens, New York, and was raised in East Brunswick, New Jersey. Being the son of an accountant that owns a large firm in New Jersey, owning and operating a business is something that was engrained within Brandon Stein from a very young age...[READ BIO]

Contact SteinLaw Florida personal injury attorney

Social Share