A popular bar near Boston’s TD Garden was allowed to reopen following an inspection by city officials last week.
The Greatest Bar, located on Friend Street, was investigated by Boston police officers and the chief of the Problem Properties Task Force on Thursday night during a raid of its premises for a series of reported violations.
According to WCVB, the owners of The Greatest Bar were issued 16 violations stemming from 30 different incidents reported between 2013 and 2015. The incidents ranged from everything from assaults and fights and patrons being injured, to patrons being overserved, WCVB reports. The owners were ordered to meet with city officials by Friday morning or risk having the bar shut down permanently.
In a statement made to the media, Greatest Bar co-owner Julie Fairweather said, “We are pleased to have been able to work with city officials today to address their concerns,” co-owner Julie Fairweather said in a statement. “We will be ready to work with the city again tomorrow – and moving forward from this point on – to continue making progress in addressing any concerns that they might have.”
“In August of last year, we started reaching out to the property owner, and have had no response since then,” Smith said. “There have been a number of police violations and police presence (has) showed up here. So it boiled up to the point where we felt that we needed to make some sort of action to go into the establishment and say, ‘This is not OK,'” Jerome Smith, chair of the Problem Property Task Force said. Smith went on record to say that The Great Bar is “the worst offender among Boston’s problem businesses.”
According to WCVB, the commissioner of inspectional services, William Christopher, authorities found some violations on Thursday, including problems with egress. The bar has reportedly had problems with overcrowding in the past, but when the task force arrived, there was no issue.
“We take this very seriously. That this is not just a list of places that we think are in trouble,” Christopher said in a statement to WCVB. “These are places where we are going to be very proactive about. We’re going to go out and visit them. We’re going to make sure they adhere to the rules and regulations and offer a safe establishment for people to enjoy.”
Massachusetts property owners, including landlords, business owners, restaurant owners, parking lot owners and managers of both public and private premises, are legally responsible for ensuring that their properties are structurally safe and secure, and do not pose a risk for injury or harm to residents, patrons or guests to those properties. Premises liability law holds a residential business owner and/or manager legally responsible when he or she fails to fulfill this duty of care and someone is hurt or dies—especially when he or she did or should have known about the unsafe condition and was neglectful to remedy the situation.
In the case of The Greatest Bar, the property’s owners are responsible for making sure that no imminent danger is posed to its patrons. This means that all exits are clearly accessible, that there is adequate security on-site to prevent overcrowding, assaults and/or fighting, and that bartenders are aware of patrons who may be intoxicated and are at risk for being overserved. (Click to learn more about social host liability law.)
When a person is injured due to the negligent decisions/actions of a property owner, he or she may be entitled to compensation for any injury-related expenses, including those incurred from necessary medical care, lost wages (if an injury prevents he or she from returning to work), post-injury treatment (including physical therapy or psychological treatment), as well as recourse for pain and suffering.
At the law offices of Altman & Altman, our team of Massachusetts Premises Liability Attorneys have nearly 50 years of experience handling all types of premises liability cases, including those caused by negligent property owners. Our team members understand the burden and distress an injury can cause, and promise to stand by our clients through every aspect of their case to ensure they receive the maximum compensation they are entitled to.
If you or a loved one was involved in an accident due to unsafe premises, call our office today to schedule a consultation with one of our lawyers. All initial consultations are completely free and confidential, and our attorneys are available around the clock to assist you with your case.
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