Any violent act is a shock to everyone it touches, and to a community that never expected it to happen where they live. These incidents aren’t a weekly occurrence in Seattle, but it only takes one assault to change a person’s life forever.
In the aftermath, victims try to make sense of what happened and whether it could have been prevented. Sometimes it could have. When a lack of adequate security played a role, the property owner or manager running the operation may be held liable for the losses that followed. This isn’t about playing the blame game. It’s about holding accountable the people who were supposed to provide a safe environment.
The Limits of Commercial Business Insurance
Most businesses operating in Seattle carry commercial insurance, and that coverage usually comes in more than one form. The distinctions count, because they decide whether a victim of violence can recover anything at all.
Commercial Property Insurance: Similar to a homeowner’s policy, this covers physical damage to buildings, inventory, and equipment from events like fire, floods, or theft. It does not cover bodily injury from a crime or a physical assault.
Commercial General Liability (CGL): This policy compensates customers or patrons who suffer third-party bodily injury on the premises. Here’s the catch: many CGL policies contain strict assault and battery exclusions. With one in place, coverage is blocked if the injury stems from a fight, a crime, or a failure to keep the premises safe. It’s a get-out-of-jail-free card for the business.
Assault and Battery Coverage: This is a separate endorsement or standalone policy, often carried by high-risk properties like bars, hotels, or apartment complexes, that covers third-party violence and failure-to-prevent claims.
It’s in a business owner’s interest to carry full coverage. Otherwise, they can be personally exposed to lawsuits that reach their private assets.
The Role of Negligent Security in Insurance Claims
If you were assaulted at a bar, music venue, sports arena, nightclub, movie theater, or other business, you may be entitled to seek compensation from the owner when a lack of security contributed to the attack.
Negligent security can involve:
- Broken locks on apartment doors or office buildings
- Bad lighting in parking lots, stairwells, or walkways
- Damaged perimeter fences
- Broken surveillance cameras
- Missing alarms
Staffing counts, too. There’s no magic ratio written into law, but a venue still has to provide enough trained guards for its size, its crowd, and its risk. A common requirement is one guard for every 50 patrons, but that is not a legal standard in any state. A packed bar at closing time needs more coverage than a quiet cafe, and any guard on duty should be trained in intervention and de-escalation.
Then there’s foreseeability. A property owner is expected to know the potential for crime at their business based on the history of incidents at the establishment and in the surrounding neighborhood.
Damages You Can Recover Through a Commercial Liability Policy
If you were injured at a business due to negligence on the part of the property owner, you’re entitled to seek damages for the following:
- Ambulance fees
- Emergency room visits
- Hospital bills
- Doctor examinations
- Prescriptions
- Medical supplies
- Physical therapy
- Lost wages
When pursuing a claim against a business owner, it is important to calculate the full scope of your damages. Once you settle, you can’t go back and ask for more funds if something develops as a result of your injuries.
Challenges When Filing Claims Against Large Commercial Entities
Being entitled to a remedy doesn’t guarantee your claim gets approved. A business owner can push back, starting with Washington’s pure comparative fault rule. It allows anyone who files a personal injury claim to recover even when they’re found partially at fault.
But if some of that blame lands on you, your final settlement drops by that percentage. That’s exactly why the business owner and their insurer will do whatever they can to shift fault onto you and shrink their exposure, and why you want a skilled attorney on your side as quickly as possible.
The Law Offices of Justin R. Boland, PLLC, has helped many Seattle residents pursue compensation against businesses that failed in their duty to provide a safe environment. Before we can help, we need to hear what happened and review your evidence. If we agree to work together, we’ll expand that investigation and take a deep dive into the business’s history and the limits of the owner’s insurance. That support begins with a free consultation. Call to schedule your talk today, and let’s get your questions answered.
