Nightclubs and bar fights and inadequate security

Bar and nightclub violence are on the rise in New Mexico. Many establish bar and nightclup owners understand that fights and assaults are going to occur – and also that can lead to inadequate security issues. Once alcohol starts flowing, patrons may become aggressive, inebriated and confrontational. Some intoxicated bar customers start fights. Bar fights and altercations that are not broken up can escalate into more serious issues that can affect everyone’s safety.

It is not unusual for customers to see bar and nightclub fights broken up by other people in the bar. But, preventing assaults and violence is not the responsibility of customers. According to MedicalDaily.com, bar and nightclub patrons often use physical tactics and other methods of nonviolence intervention to end at least 65 percent of male bar fights. Bar and nightclub owners can still find themselves responsible for any injuries and deaths that occur.

Establishment owners should take measures to prevent their customers from escalating situations into violent confrontations. They should improve their hiring processes to ensure they employ individuals who know when to stop serving alcohol to intoxicated customers. They should know the dangers that come from over-serving them and follow proper protocol to avoid them. They should also hire enough trained security guards to oversee the crowds to keep their patrons safe, states Nightclub & Bar.

Bar and nightclub owners have a duty to provide their customers with reasonably safe environments. Owners who fail to implement measures to minimize the occurrence of these events could find themselves facing claims for personal injury and even wrongful death arising out of inadequate security.