Colleyville Negligent Security Lawyer

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Colleyville is one of the safest cities in Texas, but that reputation does not make every property in the area crime-proof. When a business, apartment complex, hotel, or shopping center fails to provide reasonable security measures, innocent people get hurt. If you were assaulted, robbed, or attacked on someone else’s property in Colleyville, you may have a legal claim against the property owner, not just the person who harmed you. At Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys, our personal injury lawyers help injured people in Colleyville, Denton, and across the DFW area hold negligent property owners accountable for the harm they allowed to happen.

Table of Contents

What Negligent Security Means Under Texas Law

Negligent security is a specific type of premises liability claim. It holds property owners responsible when their failure to provide reasonable security directly leads to a visitor being harmed by a criminal act. The legal foundation for these claims comes from Texas premises liability law, which requires property owners and occupiers to maintain reasonably safe conditions for lawful visitors.

The Texas Supreme Court set the controlling standard in Timberwalk Apartments, Partners, Inc. v. Cain, 972 S.W.2d 749 (Tex. 1998). That case established that a property owner generally has no duty to protect visitors from the criminal acts of third parties. However, a critical exception applies: one who controls premises does have a duty to use ordinary care to protect invitees from criminal acts of third parties if they know or have reason to know of an unreasonable and foreseeable risk of harm to the invitee.

What does “foreseeable” mean in practice? A duty exists only when the risk of criminal conduct is so great that it is both unreasonable and foreseeable, and whether such risk was foreseeable must not be determined in hindsight but rather in light of what the premises owner knew or should have known before the criminal act occurred. For a landowner to foresee criminal conduct on property, there must be evidence that other crimes have occurred on the property or in its immediate vicinity.

Courts look at four specific factors when weighing foreseeability: the proximity of other crimes, the recency and frequency of those crimes, the similarity of the other crimes, and the publicity of the other crimes. If a property owner near a busy commercial stretch like Colleyville’s Glade Road corridor or the shopping centers along Highway 26 had knowledge of prior incidents but did nothing, that inaction can form the basis of a legal claim.

Negligent security is a part of Texas premises liability law that holds property owners accountable when their failure to provide reasonable security leads to someone getting hurt. The claim focuses on the owner’s conduct, not just the criminal’s. That distinction matters because it opens a path to real compensation for your injuries.

Where Negligent Security Incidents Commonly Happen in Colleyville

Colleyville sits in Tarrant County, bordered by Grapevine, Southlake, and Bedford. It is home to upscale retail areas, apartment communities, hotels near DFW International Airport, and restaurants along Precinct Line Road and Colleyville Boulevard. These high-traffic commercial zones attract large numbers of visitors every day, and that foot traffic creates both opportunity and responsibility for property owners.

Negligent security cases are based on the argument that the owner of the property should have made more of an effort to keep people on the premises safe from criminal attacks, such as physical assault, robbery, mugging, and sexual assault. These incidents can happen at locations that residents visit every week.

Common locations for negligent security claims in the Colleyville area include:

  • Apartment complexes and residential communities along Glade Road and Cheek-Sparger Road
  • Hotels and extended-stay properties near DFW Airport’s western access routes
  • Shopping centers and parking lots along Colleyville Boulevard and Highway 26
  • Bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues near the Colleyville Town Center area
  • Parking garages and surface lots attached to commercial buildings

If a person is assaulted, robbed, or otherwise harmed on a property due to inadequate security measures like broken locks or lack of surveillance, the property owner may be liable. Broken exterior lighting in a parking lot, a malfunctioning gate at an apartment complex, or a total absence of security cameras at a business that has had prior incidents are all examples of failures that can support a claim.

Even in a city that SafeWise ranked among the top 10 safest in Texas for its 2026 report using FBI-reported property and violent crime data, with Colleyville securing a spot on the list, crimes still occur. Low overall crime rates do not eliminate a property owner’s duty to act on known risks.

What You Must Prove in a Texas Negligent Security Claim

To recover compensation in a Texas negligent security case, you must prove four core elements. Each element builds directly on the one before it, and missing any one of them can defeat the claim. Understanding these elements helps you see why evidence collection matters so much from the very beginning.

First, you must show the property owner owed you a legal duty. Texas law classifies visitors into three categories: invitees, licensees, and trespassers. In Texas, the duty of care extends to various types of properties, including residential homes, commercial buildings, public spaces, and private land, and the law classifies visitors into three categories: invitees, licensees, and trespassers. Customers at a store or tenants at an apartment complex are invitees, and property owners owe them the highest duty of care.

Second, you must show the owner breached that duty. Property owners in Texas must take reasonable steps to prevent harm to visitors, including maintaining safe premises through regular inspections and repairs, providing warnings by clearly marking hazards, and ensuring security by providing adequate lighting and security in areas where criminal activity may occur.

Third, you must connect the breach to your injury. The owner’s failure must be a proximate cause of the harm you suffered. If a broken gate allowed an attacker access to a parking lot where you were assaulted, the connection between the failure and the injury is direct.

Fourth, you must have actual damages. When a property owner neglects these duties and someone is injured, they can be held liable for damages, including medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. These damages can be significant, especially when injuries are severe, such as traumatic brain injuries, burn injuries, or other catastrophic harm that requires long-term care.

Premises liability cases, especially negligent security claims, are time-sensitive. Evidence of prior crimes, surveillance footage, maintenance records, and witness statements must be gathered quickly. Waiting too long can mean critical evidence is gone forever.

The Two-Year Deadline and Why Acting Fast Protects Your Claim

Texas law gives you two years from the date of your injury to file a negligent security lawsuit. This deadline comes from the general personal injury statute of limitations under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003. In Texas, most premises liability claims have a two-year statute of limitations, meaning you must file your case within two years of the incident. Miss that deadline, and a court will almost certainly dismiss your case, no matter how strong the facts are.

Two years may sound like plenty of time, but the practical reality is different. Security footage is overwritten, witnesses move, and property conditions change, so a prompt investigation is vital. Many commercial properties overwrite surveillance recordings within 30 to 90 days. If you wait six months before contacting an attorney, that footage may be gone.

There is also a special rule for incidents that happen on government-owned property. If the incident occurred on public property, like a city-owned garage, the Texas Tort Claims Act requires you to give notice within six months, and sometimes sooner. Missing that notice requirement can bar your claim entirely, even before the two-year deadline arrives.

An attorney can send preservation letters to the property owner demanding that surveillance footage, maintenance logs, and incident reports be preserved immediately. Your legal team can send preservation letters to prevent deletion of video footage, subpoena maintenance records and staff communications, and retain security experts to evaluate what reasonable safety measures were lacking.

The sooner you act, the stronger your case will be. If you were hurt at an apartment complex near Colleyville’s Mill Creek area, a hotel off Highway 121, or any other commercial property in Tarrant County, call Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys at (940) 800-2500 right away. Every day that passes risks losing evidence you cannot get back.

Damages You Can Recover in a Colleyville Negligent Security Case

Texas law allows victims of negligent security to pursue compensation for the full scope of their losses. The damages available in these cases go well beyond just medical bills. Your financial, physical, and emotional losses all count, and a thorough claim accounts for all of them.

Economic damages cover your measurable financial losses. These typically include:

  • Past and future medical expenses, including emergency care, surgery, rehabilitation, and mental health treatment
  • Lost wages from time missed at work during recovery
  • Reduced earning capacity if your injuries prevent you from returning to the same type of work
  • Out-of-pocket costs related to your injury, such as transportation to medical appointments

Non-economic damages cover losses that do not come with a receipt. Pain and suffering, emotional distress, post-traumatic stress disorder, and loss of enjoyment of life are all compensable under Texas law. These damages can be substantial in cases involving violent crimes, sexual assault, or attacks that result in permanent injuries.

In some cases, Texas law also allows for exemplary damages, sometimes called punitive damages, when the property owner’s conduct was especially reckless or grossly negligent. Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 41, exemplary damages require clear and convincing evidence that the defendant acted with malice or gross negligence. These cases are harder to prove, but they are possible when an owner had repeated warnings about dangerous conditions and simply ignored them.

If a loved one was killed in an attack on a poorly secured property, a wrongful death claim may also be available. The surviving spouse, children, or parents of the deceased may bring a claim under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 71.004. These cases carry the same legal framework as a negligent security claim but seek compensation for the family’s loss rather than the victim’s personal injuries.

Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys handles negligent security cases throughout the Colleyville and Denton area. We work to identify every source of compensation available to you, and we do not collect a fee unless we recover money for you. Call us at (940) 800-2500 to discuss your situation with our team.

FAQs About Colleyville Negligent Security Claims

Can I sue a property owner in Colleyville if I was attacked by a stranger on their property?

Yes, in many cases you can. Texas premises liability law allows you to hold a property owner liable for a criminal attack if you can show the attack was foreseeable and the owner failed to take reasonable steps to prevent it. The key is proving the owner knew or should have known about the risk of criminal activity, such as through a history of prior incidents at or near the property, and still failed to provide adequate security measures like working locks, proper lighting, or security personnel.

What if I was partially at fault for being in a dangerous area?

Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 33.001. This means your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault, but you can still recover as long as you are not found to be more than 50 percent responsible for your own injuries. For example, if a jury finds you were 20 percent at fault, your total damages award is reduced by 20 percent. An attorney can help build a case that minimizes any fault attributed to you.

How long does a negligent security case in Texas typically take to resolve?

The timeline varies depending on the complexity of the case, the severity of your injuries, and whether the property owner’s insurance company is willing to negotiate in good faith. Some cases settle within several months after an investigation is complete. Others require filing a lawsuit and going through the discovery process, which can take one to two years. Cases that go to trial take longer. Starting early gives your attorney the most time to build a strong case and reach the best possible outcome.

Does the fact that Colleyville has a low crime rate hurt my negligent security claim?

Not necessarily. A low overall crime rate for the city does not eliminate a property owner’s duty to act on specific, known risks at their particular location. Courts look at the history of criminal activity at or near the specific property, not just citywide statistics. If a Colleyville apartment complex or shopping center had prior incidents or complaints about security, that history is relevant regardless of how safe the broader city may be.

What should I do immediately after being attacked on someone else’s property in Colleyville?

Call 911 first and get a police report filed. Seek medical attention right away, even if your injuries seem minor, because some injuries worsen over time and a medical record creates an important link between the incident and your damages. Document the scene with photographs if you are able, noting any broken lights, missing security cameras, or damaged locks. Get the names and contact information of any witnesses. Then contact Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys at (940) 800-2500 as soon as possible. Acting quickly protects critical evidence before it disappears.

Attorney responsible for this content: Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys, principal office located in Denton, Texas. Past results described on this website do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case. Each case is different and must be evaluated on its own facts. Results depend on a variety of factors unique to each matter.

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