Can I Sue for Being Shot or Stabbed in Tacoma?

Can I sue for being shot or stabbed in Tacoma?

Often, yes. If you were shot or stabbed on a Tacoma property — an apartment complex, bar or nightclub, parking garage, store, hotel, or transit stop — and the owner failed to provide the reasonable security a foreseeable risk called for, Washington law may let you hold that owner financially responsible through a negligent-security claim. You are not suing for the crime itself; you are suing the property owner for the security failures that made a foreseeable attack possible. This is separate from any criminal case against the attacker.

Tacoma negligent-security law — the short version

Tacoma cases are governed by Washington law. Washington owners must protect invitees from reasonably foreseeable third-party crime, usually shown by prior similar incidents (Nivens). A negligent-security lawsuit here is generally filed in the Pierce County Superior Court (Pierce County). For the full Washington standard — deadlines, how fault is shared, and what you can recover — see our Washington negligent security page.

Public safety in Tacoma

Tacoma has historically ranked among Washington’s higher cities for violent crime, but the Police Department’s Violent Crime Reduction Plan has reported meaningful recent declines, including a large drop in homicides. A negligent-security claim depends on the documented history of prior incidents at the specific property, not on the city’s overall rate.

Where these cases happen in Tacoma

In Tacoma, these claims commonly arise in the downtown entertainment blocks along Pacific Avenue, the Hilltop district, the South Tacoma Way commercial corridor, and around transit points such as the Tacoma Dome Station. Common property types are bars and nightclubs, apartment complexes and their common areas, parking lots and garages, convenience stores and gas stations, motels, and transit stations.

Deadlines for a Tacoma case

• Negligence / personal injury: generally three years from the date of the incident from the date of the incident.
• Wrongful death: generally three years from the date of death.

Surveillance footage and other evidence disappear quickly, so it is important to act fast.

Why Tacoma victims choose The Haggard Law Firm

The firm has handled nearly 500 negligent-security cases nationwide and secured the largest negligent-security verdict in U.S. history ($102.7 million). We help Tacoma crime victims and their families with no fee unless we win.

How we handle a Washington case — working with local counsel

The Haggard Law Firm is based in Coral Gables, Florida, and Michael A. Haggard is licensed to practice law in Florida. Mr. Haggard is not licensed in Washington. Negligent security and crime-victim litigation is the firm’s core focus, and because of the national reputation the firm has built in this specific area, Mr. Haggard regularly works on Washington cases as co-counsel with a locally licensed Washington attorney, seeking admission pro hac vice (for the individual case) where the court’s rules permit. Any Washington matter would be handled together with local counsel admitted in Washington.

If you were shot, stabbed, or lost a loved one to a preventable crime in Washington, you can still reach out to us directly. We will review your case for free and, where appropriate, associate with a qualified Washington attorney to pursue it.

This page is attorney advertising and general information only; it is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Michael A. Haggard is licensed in Florida. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.