Over the past ten years, social media has gone from a hot new online fad to one of the most central and unavoidable parts of modern life. If you’re anything like the average American, you likely have accounts on more than one social media that you use regularly. Unfortunately, that could come back to haunt you if you continue using those accounts while trying to seek compensation through a personal injury lawsuit.
With very few exceptions, the impact of social media on personal injury claims is overwhelmingly negative, to the point that you’re almost always better off staying away from social media until your legal proceedings conclude. Here are a few of the ways your online presence could affect your case, all of which our seasoned personal injury attorneys have seen happen and can help you avoid.
Revealing Too Much About the Nature of Your Injuries
Negotiating for fair compensation from an insurance company or directly from another person responsible for an accident is a detail-oriented process. You want to keep as much control as possible over what information the opposition has about you. Even something as simple as a selfie of yourself in the hospital after a car crash could give defense lawyers information about what treatment you received, what expenses you’ve likely accrued, and what kinds of things they can fight to deny you compensation for later on.
Implying You’re Not Actually Injured
A photo of yourself out on the town, performing routine housework, or even moving around on your own could be disastrous for your personal injury claim. If that photo ends up on social media, it could be taken as a sign that your injury isn’t as bad as you claim it is or even that you’re not hurt at all. Without context, that kind of evidence may be a lot more compelling to a civil judge than you’d expect.
Indicating Bias Against the Person You’re Suing
In addition to photos and videos, you should also generally avoid making text posts on social media after getting hurt in a serious accident. As understandably angry as you might be about your accident, posting about your feelings online could be interpreted as a sign that you’re demanding money not just to cover specific injury-related losses but as a means of getting revenge. That could be another way for a defense lawyer to argue you don’t deserve the amount of money you’re seeking.
Providing Evidence That the Opposition Will Use Against You
By posting on social media during a personal injury claim, you’re giving the people you’re demanding compensation from information about you and your case that they don’t need and may not have ever known if you hadn’t voluntarily shown it to them. You and your own legal counsel are the only ones who are truly fighting for your best interests in a situation like this. There’s no good reason to hurt your own best interests through preventable mistakes like this.
Fortunately, you have help available from skilled personal injury lawyers who know the common mistakes people make during cases like this and can help make sure you avoid all those mistakes during your legal proceedings. Call today to learn more.
