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Shooting Personal Injury Cases
Alcohol and guns can be a deadly combination. When tempers flare at a nightclub, shots fired in anger can cause fatal injuries. Shooting victims who survive often face the lasting consequences of gunshot wounds, including organ damage, paralysis, brain injuries, and other disabling conditions.
If you are injured in a club shooting, whether you were the shooter’s target or an innocent bystander, you may be entitled to seek compensation. The club has an obligation to provide sufficient security to protect patrons from foreseeable harm. While Georgia law allows shooting victims to sue the shooter, victims can also sue a negligent nightclub that failed to protect them from harm.
Victims of club shootings can protect their rights by taking three important steps. They should get medical care. They should contact the police. And they should get immediate advice from a Georgia security negligence lawyer.
Victims of Georgia Club Shootings Should Get Prompt Medical Attention
Even if a bullet wound does not seem to be serious, gunshot wounds easily become infected. Scraps of clothing forced into the body by the bullet are probably contaminated by germs. A wound infection can lead to a deadly condition known as sepsis if it is not treated promptly.
Visiting a doctor immediately after a shooting is important for several reasons. A bullet that is still in the victim’s body might need to be removed before it shifts its position and severs an artery. A doctor will need to decide whether surgical removal of the bullet is safer than leaving it in place.
Shooting victims also jeopardize their opportunity to receive full injury compensation if they do not receive prompt treatment. Insurance adjusters will argue that victims who do not see a doctor were not in pain. When patients do not keep medical appointments, insurance adjusters argue that the injuries must have healed. Delaying treatment or failing to follow through on appointments makes it difficult to settle a claim for its full value.
Victims of Georgia Club Shootings Should Cooperate with the Police
Police officers have an obligation to investigate shootings. Their investigations may uncover important evidence that can be used to establish the club owner’s negligence. Failing to cooperate with the police might make it difficult or impossible to bring a successful liability claim against a negligent club owner.
Sometimes victims worry that the police will use their statements against them. A shooting victim can consult with a Georgia crime victim injury attorney before talking to the police. The victim may want to have the attorney present while giving statements to protect the victim’s rights.
Victims of Georgia Club Shootings Should Contact an Injury Lawyer Promptly
While crime victims can expect the police to conduct a criminal investigation, a lawsuit requires a civil investigation. To establish a club’s liability for a shooting, a lawyer will need to determine whether the club owners should have anticipated the possibility of a shooting. The lawyer may review records to determine how often the police have been called to the club and whether the club is in a location with a high crime rate.
The lawyer will also investigate actions taken by the club owner to protect patrons. How many security staff members did the club hire? How were they trained? Do they screen patrons for weapons? Do they patrol the parking lot? Where were they when the shooting occurred? What did they do when shots were fired?
Shootings in clubs can often be prevented by anticipating trouble and taking steps to prevent it. Shooting victims should contact a personal injury law firm promptly so that evidence can be gathered before memories fade.
