Atlanta Area Gas Station Assaults Are On The Rise

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There seems to be an alarming trend of attacks and assaults at Atlanta area gas stations. As an Atlanta injury attorney, I have represented people who have been attacked at gas stations in Georgia.

Unfortunately, it seems that local convenience stores and gas stations are still not taking adequate steps to secure their premises. Two recent events, one which involved a shooting, have highlighted the fact that local store owners continue to place profits over customer safety and fail to provide adequate security.

O.C.G.A 51-3-1 provides that the owners of premises owe a duty of care to keep the property safe for customers. What does that mean? Well, it can mean different things for different stores and gas stations. For example, a gas station off of Boulevard or Fulton Industrial Blvd in Atlanta are likely to be located in high crime areas and, in fact, likely to have been the site of criminal activity. So, those stores and gas stations owe a higher duty to customers with respect to security. Video monitoring or even a security guard might be necessary to deter and prevent assaults and robberies of customers. On the other hand, a gas station located in a rural area and a part of town which has not been the site of a lot of crime, might not need such significant security measures to provide reasonable and adequate assurances of safety for customers.

Ultimately, Georgia law essentially provides that if a business is going to solicit individuals onto their property for business purposes, those stores owe a duty of care to ensure that the customers aren’t walking into a dangerous situation. It is amazing what video cameras and security patrols will do to deter criminal conduct. The sad truth is that many businesses elect to take profits home rather than re-invest money into security measures. For many stores, that formula results in a very dangerous situation for unsuspecting customers.