Several social media sites, like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, are places where people share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences with friends and family. However, when you are in the middle of a personal injury claim, it is important to be mindful of the impact your social media activity can have on your case. Here are some considerations to keep in mind:
- Social Media is Public Record
The information you post on social media is public, and you have no reasonable expectation of privacy when it comes to posts. This includes insurance adjusters and defence attorneys.
- Social Media Can Impact Your Claim of Physical Injury
When you’re seeking compensation for personal injury, it is the job of the other party to question your credibility and find evidence to minimize your injuries. Insurance companies will comb through your social media accounts looking for photos or posts that contradict your claim that you’ve been seriously injured. For instance, if you claim to have a back injury, anyvideo post showing you dancing at a party could be harmful to your case, as said by experts at EIDabe Ritter Trial Lawyers.
- Social Media Can Impact Your Claim of Pain and Suffering and Reduce Evidence
When you have been injured, there may be a claim for pain and suffering. You might experience depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, and loss of enjoyment of life because of it. When people post on social media, they’re usually trying to put their best side forward and show how their life is perfect. When you post pictures of fun times with family and friends, these photos could be interpreted as a demonstration that you are actually enjoying life despite your injury, and your claims can be thrown out easily with these causes. Defence attorneys will take any of your “positive” or “happy” posts and attempt to use them to prove that you are not suffering as much as you present, and hence stop your claim in the first place and you will not have much to do.
- Approaching Social Media During a Personal Injury Claim
If you have been injured in an accident or through any other unfortunate event, there are some measures you can take to ensure your social media life doesn’t negatively impact your personal injury claim. Putting up posts about your health can be taken by the defence as a claim of attention, hence being careful at such times is necessary.
Stop all social media activity as soon as you’re involved in any sort of accident
- Consider shutting down your social media accounts and keep them away from any such news.
- If you insist on keeping your social media accounts open, make sure to set all of them to the highest privacy setting, not letting anyone access to your public posts.
- Don’t add any new social media accounts, as it will only call for trouble.
- Don’t accept any new friend or follower requests, as these can be hints of evidence gathering from the other party.
- Make your attorney aware of your social media accounts and what you post.
