Well over 700 people are raped every day in this country. Twenty percent of all women report that someone raped them at least once during their lifetime. One third of those victims say the assault took place at a bar or nightclub.
You are not a statistic. The crime that was committed against you was real and very personal. While you struggle to get past the unwarranted shame you may feel, you may also wonder if someone could have done something more to prevent the assault.
How a predator might work
People go to clubs to have fun. At the end of a long week on the job or for an impromptu celebration, you and your friends enjoy laughing, dancing and having a few drinks in an atmosphere that is boisterous and party-like.
Unfortunately, predators understand this. They know that you are there to unwind and let your hair down. You want to relax, and you aren’t thinking about trouble. Maybe the person who assaulted you watched you drinking. He may have even sent you a shot or paid for your last round. It is likely that he wasn’t drinking. This should have been a sign to the bartender.
Club employees should have your back
Bars and nightclubs are high risk areas for sexual assault and rape. Because of this, you would not feel safe spending late hours in such establishments if there were not a certain expectation of safety. The most basic precautions you can expect a bar employee to take may include:
- Refusing to serve alcohol to you or your date if you appear to have drunk too much
- Having security escort anyone out of the club who seems to be making persistent unwanted advances toward you
- Training all employees to be aware of what is going on throughout the club and to know what danger signs to look for
- Teaching bar staff how to react to risky situations
A bartender in a busy club may claim he or she is unable to watch for these signs. If the bar was full and patrons were shouting for drinks, a bartender may not have had time to look around to see if you were alright. If this is true, then the bar may have been understaffed. In a situation like this, if there is no employee on the floor, watching the door or circulating through the crowd, the bar owner makes it easy for people to take advantage of those in a vulnerable state.
Your attack may have been preventable
Bar owners in Georgia know that their establishment, its location and its atmosphere attracts a certain clientele. With this information, if the owner of the bar where your assault occurred failed to provide reasonable security, he or she may be civilly responsible for the crime.
If you feel the bar owners could have prevented your assault if they had enacted better safety measures, you may have a case for a liability claim. An attorney will review the details of your case with sensitivity and compassion and help you decide the steps to take for possible compensation for your suffering.