Fox 7 has reported that a stabbing occurred at the Mala Vida nightclub located at 708 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78701.
The incident took place at around 2 a.m. on Sunday, October 24, 2021. Officers arrived to find two victims suffering from stab wounds. Witnesses said that an argument broke out inside of the nightclub and quickly escalated into a physical altercation. Nightclub security forced them out of the bar into the alley. During the fight, 27-year-old Jose Lara Hernandez allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed two victims.
The victims were taken to the hospital for treatment. One sustained life-threatening injuries.
Hernandez is facing charges of two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which is a second-degree felony.
Attorney contributor Anjali Nigam works with stabbing victims in private civil lawsuits. Anjali provided the following commentary to help victims in determining if they can sue for being stabbed in a nightclub.
"Nightclub and bar owners have a legal responsibility to abide by premises liability laws ensuring the safety of their employees and patrons. Some types of security measures that might suffice could include nightclub security guards, video monitoring surveillance, and adequate lighting in their parking lots. These efforts are to lessen the chance of violent crimes from happening on the property. However, if sufficient security precautions are not taken seriously by the nightclub owners, they may be deemed negligent in a lawsuit."
"Nightclubs that have a history of violence or are located in an area where crime is on the rise have an obligation to increase their safety in order to reduce the chance of preventable crime. Failure to do this could lead a nightclub owner to be found negligent and ultimately liable for foreseeable crimes. By securing the services of a stabbing victim attorney, the victim and their family can file a lawsuit against the negligent nightclub."