How Social Media Can Affect Your Accident Claim
Brian O Sutter
Insurance Laws
Personal Injury
Social media is quickly becoming a regular go-to for most people, and it has the power to play an even bigger role in our lives now. People jump to their social media accounts for a variety of reasons such as to update their friends and family on what has been going on throughout their day, they want to share a nice meal they are having, or they may even be using social media to check up on people the easy way.However, did you know that social media can negatively affect an accident or personal injury claim you may have filed? What you say and do on social media may affect your personal life because nothing you put on the internet remains private. There is always a chance that someone can take what you say wrong, or you can unknowingly admit to something that may have been previously overlooked. All of these have the power to affect your personal injury claim.
What A Defense Lawyer Can Do
Once you file your accident claim for personal injury, the defense lawyer is going to go to any lengths necessary to disprove your claim. They can even go as far as to check your social media accounts if there is even a slim chance that they can stop you from recovering any damages.
When lawyers collect evidence, they go to many different sources. Anything that is posted online that can undermine your claim is like gold to them, and they will not hesitate to use it against you. For example, you are in the middle of your personal injury claim in which you said you had hurt your back in an accident. One post about you walking around a theme park all day or doing something as simple as gardening can create doubt that you are as injured as you say.
Remember, most of the time personal injury cases include emotional and mental health and wellness as well as physical. So, if you also post pictures of you recently laughing and going out with friends and having a seemingly great time, the lawyers will jump on it and discredit how traumatized you may be.
Posting Negative Comments About the Defendant
Yes, you are angry, and yes, you feel the need to vent about what happened to lead to your personal injury claim. However, social media is not the platform on which to do so. Speaking negatively regarding the defendant and airing your disapproval and disgrace about them on your social media platforms may come back to bite you.
An angry post can always be misinterpreted, and it can even make it sound like you are just out to get a payment or defame the defendant. Always be mindful of what you post and leave the hostility out of your social media accounts.
Refrain from Posting About Your Injuries
It is also strongly recommended that you refrain from posting about any of the injuries you have sustained as well. The defense lawyers may be able to find a way to use these posts against you and hurt your chances at receiving a fair settlement.
The defense attorneys job is to weed out any inconsistencies there may be in your claim and do what they have to do to get the truth. Social media is one such way they can do this legally, and it is one method many of us may overlook in the heat of the moment.
Before submitting that next post on social media because you are mad and stuck in the moment, take a second and breathe. It could mean the difference between a fair settlement or losing your claim altogether.