Liability of nightclub/bars for drunken patrons

Emily Mapp Brannon

Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 313

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As a busy Virginia personal injury attorney, I was recently pondering about a case I have against a Norfolk nightclub/bar, which resulted in serious injuries to a young client.

When I took the call I was initially reluctant to take the case because the bar had potential, but not clear liability for the injuries that a drunk patron inflicted on my client. I knew it was not fair because I have witnesses who say that the guy was very obviously intoxicated and harassing several people. That is the piece of information that made me take the case. Unfortunately for my client he suffered a very serious injury as a result of the bar’s negligence in not removing a drunken patron when they should have. There are several lessons to be learned by this case. First and most important, be careful when you go to your favorite watering hole. You don’t know how drunk the person next to you is and you might end up injured or worse. Second, if you see someone acting out of control, take the time to notify management or an employee so no one ends up hurt.

This is just one type of “premises liability” case that I handle. I enjoy finding new means of recovery for my injured clients. While many lawyers would have walked away from this case, I wanted to see that my client was compensated for his devastating injury. If you have been involved in any type of situation where you end up injured because of someone else’s negligence or actions give me a call. I am always willing to help injured people. We handle cases in VA, NC, SC, WV, D.C. and TN. We have clients from all of the Hampton Roads cities.