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Atlanta is one of the most thriving cities in the nation – and just as in other high-population areas around the country, gun crimes and shootings do happen.
If you or a loved one have been seriously injured in an Atlanta shooting, you likely have numerous concerns and should consider speaking with a compassionate Atlanta shooting victim lawyer as soon as you are able. You might wonder what Georgia laws say about who can be held accountable for your injuries and if you have legal standing for a claim.
What to Do in Case of a Shooting in Atlanta, GA
If you are injured in a shooting, you should find medical attention as quickly as possible. Make sure the medical team that treats you thoroughly documents your injuries. Even if you weren’t shot, but someone you know was, call the police immediately. They must know when there’s an active shooter. Whether the shooting was intentional or accidental will play a role in your legal options, as will key information about the shooter and the ownership of the gun.
Contact an experienced Atlanta personal injury lawyer as soon after the incident as possible. While doctors work to treat your injuries and police compile information and eyewitness accounts for their reports, keep in mind that they have obligations beyond you. Doctors are concerned with treating your injuries, not necessarily how they occurred, and the police work on behalf of the local and state government, not individual citizens and shooting victims. Only an experienced attorney can serve as your advocate when it comes to pursuing compensation and damages for your injuries after a shooting.
What Georgia Law Says Regarding Shooting Crimes
In Georgia, a property or premises owner has the obligation to protect people lawfully on the property against foreseeable violent acts. This means, for example, that if you are shot at a hotel or apartment complex where there was a history of crime, the hotel or apartment owner may have neglected its responsibility to protect you from known danger.
Similarly, if there is a drunk and disorderly patron at a bar or restaurant who is causing problems and the staff or management does not make this person leave, the establishment can be held liable if that same patron later attacks and shoots someone on the premises. The same may be found true for establishments that fail to provide adequate security cameras in parking lots or other areas or in places that fail to provide adequate supervision, such as schools or prisons. Witness accounts, as well as an investigation into the conditions at the facility where the shooting occurred, often reveal less-than-adequate security precautions.
Gas station owners must also protect their customers from the known risk of violent attacks.
Contact an Atlanta Shooting Victim Attorney If You’ve Been Shot
At The Dixon Firm, P.C., we work to help Atlanta shooting victims understand their rights and protections under the law. In the event you or a loved one is shot on the property of a business, such as a hotel, gas station, store, or apartment complex, you may have grounds to sue the property owner for damages and prosecute the shooter for criminal charges. Please contact us online or by calling our office at 404-733-1166. We will advocate for you and determine whether you have a strong enough case to win compensation.
