People share literally every aspect of their lives on social media. Even though social media allows us to stay in touch with friends and family who are far away, the excessive use of social media can actually be harmful for your personal injury claim. So in short…yes, social media can potentially jeopardize your personal injury claim.
If you or your loved ones were injured in an accident and you’re looking to receive compensation for your injuries, damage and loss, it’s best to avoid posting on social media. To explain further, let’s dive in how social media posting can jeopardize a successful personal injury claim.
Social Media Can Be Used Against You
Regardless whether you’re the most active person on social media or you barely share any posts, your social media profile can be used against you in your personal injury claim.
Insurance companies (who will eventually have to pay you your compensation) will try to investigate every part of your life in order to see what and how you’re doing. And yes, this includes your social media accounts as well.
Your social media postings can contract your testimony that you gave about the severity of your injuries. Meaning, you might have told that your injuries were severe and yet you’re posting on Instagram that you’re having a wonderful time with friends, relaxing and enjoying yourself. This can paint a picture that your injuries weren’t quite so severe and didn’t have such a huge impact on your life.
If you decide to update your friends and family about your accident, you’re risking on saying something that could be in conflict with your initial statement. This could be quite risky, because the insurance company could use this against you and blame you for what happened in the accident.
After the accident, your doctor will determine how severe are your injuries, how will they be treated and what is your recovery time. Even though not all injuries are the same, they don’t hurt all the time etc. but if you post photos of yourself being up and around, the opposite side could see them as proof that those injuries weren’t so sever after all (even though they could be mistaken).
Social Media Tips
There are a number of ways your social media accounts can be used to hurt your personal injury claim, so it’s vital that you know how to behave on social media while your case is ongoing. Here are some useful tips on how to behave:
Privacy settings
Make sure to check your social media account’s privacy settings. When the account is set to be “private”, outside parties won’t have access to it and won’t be able to see what you’re posting. But even with that measure, you should practice caution when posting something online related to your accident. Attorneys sometimes send a letter of preservation meaning that your social media account must be maintained and not altered in any way. This way they can prevent you from deleting some of your posts that might end up being “risky”. Here’s how you can check your (and change) your privacy settings on Facebook.
Posting about your injuries
It’s normal that your family and friend will like to know more about your wellbeing after the accident. Refrain from posting status updates or images about your injuries or treatment. In general, don’t post images about your injuries, the accident or the progress of your treatment/recovery. Instead, we recommend that you update people in person or over the phone.
Sharing information on your attorney
If you’re not totally satisfied about the service you received from your personal injury attorney, don’t post about it online. A negative review or opinion can also hurt your case. See if you can speak to someone else at the law firm about your case.
Limit social media interactions with your family and friends
This is also connected to your privacy settings. Sometimes, your account is setup so your friends and family can post on your profile and tag you in posts. Ask them not to do that, until your case resolves.
If you’re not sure whether to post, don’t post
Sometimes you will be hesitant whether you can post something online or not. If you’re unsure, it’s best that you don’t post at least until your case is resolved. And always think it through before you post.
We hope that these tips will help you understand how dangerous your social media activity can be for your personal injury claim. If you and your loved one were injured in an accident (regardless of what kind) make sure to contact our experienced attorneys so they could help you get the compensation you’re owed and provide legal guidance.
