Atlanta, Savannah, & All of Georgia

The Red & Black is reporting that an unknown victim reported a rape from inside Russell Hall on August 18, 2013, at the University of Georgia. The rape was reported by the victim to an employee of the UGA housing staff. The victim was not interested in talking with the police, according to the University police report.

Since March 2013, this is the sixth reported rape that has involved someone affiliated with UGA in Athens. The Red & Black is also reporting that of those 6 reported rapes, four involved UGA students and two listed employees of the University as the suspect.

Notes from the police report:

This particular case is considered an acquaintance rape. Our Atlanta personal injury lawyers know these make up 85% of all rape cases. The other 15% occur when the victim does not know the aggressor. The other 15% of rapes and sexual assaults occur in places like parking lots, parking decks, hotels or apartment complexes that are open to the public. Cases of this nature are considered premises liability cases when the property owner has neglected to take action to keep his or her patrons safe.

Given the most recent reports of rapes on college campuses, Gary Martin Hays, managing partner at the Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, offers these 7 tips to help stay safe if you live on a college campus:

1. Always travel with a friend
2. Go on double dates during the early phases of dating
3. Never leave your drink unattended or take a drink from a stranger
4. Do NOT drink to get drunk
5. Request an escort home from campus police or security
6. Avoid dark streets and back roads
7. Adjust your study habits to avoid being alone late at night around campus

If you were the victim of a rape or sexual assault, or if your loved one has experienced something traumatic of that nature, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the Atlanta premises liability attorneys at the Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates by emailing us or calling right now - 1-800-898-HAYS.

WSBTV.com is reporting that a student of Clayton State University in Morrow, Ga., was shot in the parking lot of the Clayton Station Apartments earlier this month.

According to officials, the student and his co-worker parked near a small group of people, got out of the car and started walking toward his apartment. It is believed that someone in that small group was responsible for the shooting.

The student was shot in the ankle and later also discovered that he had been shot under the arm as well. The injured student was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and is in good condition, according to officials.

There have been no arrests, but this shooting is still under investigation.

Clayton Station, the apartment complex where the shooting took place, is owned and operated by Clayton State University.

The Clayton State University claims this on their website:

• 24-Hour Maintenance:  Our skilled and friendly maintenance staff is on call for emergencies 24/7.
• University Police Officer Patrol and Response:  Serving our residents and community.

Our Atlanta personal injury lawyers know that under certain circumstances, premises liability suits can be filed by victims of violent crimes committed on the premises of hotels and motels, apartment complexes, shopping centers, office buildings, and other public facilities.

Many serious injuries and deaths have occurred due to shootings at apartment complexes in the state of Georgia where the owner of the property was negligent, and when that happens people affected have the right to seek restitution.

The Restatement of Torts states:

A possessor of land who holds it open to the public for entry for his business purposes is subject to liability to members of the public while they are upon the land for such a purpose, for physical harm caused by the accidental, negligent, or intentionally harmful acts of third persons or animals, and by the failure of the possessor to exercise reasonable care to:

(a) discover that such acts are being done or are likely to be done, or

(b) give a warning adequate to enable visitors to avoid the harm or otherwise protect them against it.

In instances where a history of shootings have been documented on the premises or near an apartment complex in the past, the owner can be held negligent for not taking action and providing a security presence when someone is shot and seriously injured or killed.

If you were the victim of a serious crime, such as a shooting or sexual assault, or if you have lost a loved one on the premises of an apartment complex, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the Atlanta premises liability attorneys at the Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates by contacting us online or calling right now - 1-800-898-HAYS.

The AJC.com is reporting that 32-year-old Kenneth Davis was shot in the head and killed at a Chevron gas station near the Georgia Dome at the corner of Northside Drive and Markham Street in Atlanta.

According to the police, this homicide was not initially considered to have been a random act, but the investigation is still underway, as the motive has yet to be determined. Also, no description was given of the shooter.

Our Atlanta personal injury lawyers know that many serious injuries and deaths have occurred due to shootings at places of business. Shooting deaths that are caused due to property owner negligence, either inside or outside a building, are typically referred to as premises liability cases in the legal world.  Premises liability can occur at residences, commercial buildings or on public property.

In instances where many shootings have occurred in a specific area near a business in the past, the business owner may be responsible for not taking action and providing a security presence when someone is shot and seriously injured or killed.

If you were the victim of a serious crime, such as a shooting or sexual assault, or if you have lost a loved one on the premises of a business, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the Atlanta premises liability attorneys at the Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates by emailing us or calling right now - 1-800-898-HAYS.

Recently, PBS Frontline released a three-part series on problems within assisted-living facilities. The PBS series focused on Emeritus, a nationwide corporation with assisted-living facilities in as many as 47 states throughout the United States. Emeritus is a for-profit corporation and the PBS series highlighted some ways in which for-profit assisted-living centers may be putting the lives and health of patients at risk.

Our Atlanta nursing home abuse lawyers believe that senior citizens have the right to live with dignity through their last years. When an assisted-living facility opens its doors to a resident and offers healthcare, life-care or other essential services, the assisted-living facility has certain obligations to ensure that nothing is done to harm the patient. Unfortunately, the PBS Frontline special on Life and Death in Assisted Living shows that patients very often are seriously harmed by care facilities that focus on profits over the needs of patients.

Assisted Living Abuses and Injuries

Assisted-living facilities are supposed to provide a less institutional alternative to nursing homes. These facilities allow a senior to get some basic help with life tasks but do not provide intensive or round-the-clock medical care. The idea is that when a resident becomes too ill or the demands of the resident's care exceed what the assisted-living facility can provide, the resident will leave to go to a nursing home.

When the assisted-living facility is for-profit, however, someone leaving to go to a nursing home means that a bed is left unfilled and there is no rent or fees to be collected. As such, employees of assisted-living facilities were being instructed to keep people from going "out the back door." The assisted-living facilities were trying to keep residents living there even when the residents should move on because they couldn't get needed medical help.

Unfortunately, the actions of the assisted-living facility came at a serious cost.  One former pro-football player living in a facility, for example, died after ingesting industrial strength dishwashing chemicals that had not been secured. Another resident with dementia left the assisted-living facility and froze to death. Still another had serious and potentially life-threatening bedsores. The assisted-living facility not only failed to get any medical help for the patient beyond with bedsores having an unqualified employee rub cream into the sores, but the facility actually went so far as to hide the patient's condition from a nurse who was visiting to treat an open ulcer on the patient's foot. The woman who had the bedsores died as a result of the care that she didn't receive and her family took action against the facility and was awarded millions in damages.

When assisted-living facilities fail to provide reasonable care and services to patients and/or put patients' lives at risk to keep beds filled, the facilities must be held accountable. Only when it becomes unprofitable to act this way because of abuse and neglect lawsuits will these care facilities change the way in which they operate.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by nursing home abuse or neglect, contact Gary Martin Hays & Associates at 1-800-898-HAYS.

WSB is reporting that a man was shot and killed at a Norcross apartment complex, and another man was struck in the head.

The Gwinnett County Police released a statement that the two men, Thomas Smith and Steven Carden, were walking through the Celadon Apartment complex at approximately 7:10 a.m. when Smith was struck over the head and Carden was shot.

The Marietta Daily Journal is reporting that the two men did not live in the complex and that they were confronted by two men right before the shooting occurred.

Other sources are reporting that residents of the community are afraid, and feel that they "need more security around the apartments."

Our Atlanta personal injury lawyers have written recently about violent attacks at area apartment complexes and what victims can do to protect their rights. 

According to an advertisement for the apartment complex, the following features are available for residents:

Community Features:

Spacious Townhome Style Apartments

• Sparkling Swimming Pool
• Playground
• Picnic Area/BBQ Area
• Sports Field
• On-Site Laundry Room
• 24-Hour Maintenance

Deaths that are caused due to poor maintenance or dangerous property, either inside or outside a building, are typically referred to as premises liability cases in the legal world.  Premises liability can occur at residences, commercial buildings or on public property.

Invitee, trespasser or licensee?

An invitee is someone who the property owner has invited onto the property, such as a customer or in the case of apartments, the residents. A licensee enters a property for his or her own purposes but has permission from the property owner to be there. A trespasser is one who enters without any right whatsoever.

In regard to trespassers, if the property owner understands that it is likely that trespassers will enter their property, they may be charged with a duty to give reasonable warning to prevent injury.

If you have been seriously injured or lost a friend or loved one as a result of premises liability in the state of Georgia, please contact us today to talk about your case or call now at 1-800-898-HAYS.

The Atlanta premises liability attorneys at the Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays and Associates are trained to fight for the rights of people who have fallen victim to violent crimes due to premises liability.

ROSWELL, Ga. - According to NorthFulton.com, a 20-year-old male was shot in a suburban apartment complex, north of Atlanta, on July 13, 2013.

The shooting took place in the breezeway of one of the buildings at the Orion Apartment complex on Hemingway Lane in Roswell, Ga. The victim took a bullet to the leg and lost a "tremendous amount of blood," said Officer Lisa Holland of the Roswell Police.

The Orion Apartment complex is a pool and tennis community that claims:

"We pledge to provide the finest personal services and facilities to our residents who will always enjoy the highest level of care and personal attention exceeding expectation in every way possible."

Police are still investigating the attack.

Many times when a shooting occurs at an apartment complex, the fact that there was even a shooting at all was a result of premises liability. The legal methodology behind premises liability holds owners and occupiers of property legally responsible for accidents and injuries that occur on that property.

There are industry-accepted standards for attributes like adequate lighting, supervision of the grounds, locking mechanisms for doors, and potentially other safety measures like security cameras, gating and other negligent security related issues.

Residents of Georgia have a right to expect to be kept safe when on the grounds of a business or organization. When someone is a victim of a violent crime and incurs injuries as a result of premises liability, many times the crime could have realistically been prevented if not for the negligence of the place of business.

If you have been seriously injured or lost a loved one as a result of premises liability in the Atlanta metropolitan area, or the state of Georgia, please contact us today to discuss your case or call right now at 1-800-898-HAYS.

The Atlanta Premises Liability Attorneys at the Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays and Associates fights for the rights of people who have fallen victim to violent crimes due to negligence.