3 Things To Keep In Mind When Using Social Media During Your Personal Injury Case

When you are injured at the hands of another party, one of the first pieces of advice your lawyer should provide is to take special precautions when posting to your social media accounts. With the use of social media being a part of daily life for most people, it has a way of coming back to haunt you in ways you may not have thought of, especially in the midst of a personal injury case. The following are some things to keep in mind when using social media while pursuing a personal injury claim:

Who Can See Your Accounts

One thing to keep in mind is who can see what you are posting. Even if your accounts are set to private or friends only, you may have friends who share your posts without you knowing. This can lead to the information being out there for insurance companies and lawyers to find and use against you. Typically, they are not allowed to have access to your own accounts, but they are permitted to search the different social media platforms. If they come across posts that makes you look suspicious, such as taking part in physical activities when you are claiming to be injured, they can and will use it as evidence to disprove your case.

Pictures Can Be Harmful

Take special care when posting photos to social media. They can result in a bad outcome for your case if you appear to be taking part in activities that counter your claims in court. If you have claimed that your injuries have prevented you from working to earn an income, yet you post pictures of yourself on vacation water skiing and having cocktails, it will appear to a judge that you are fully capable of making a living. This can result in a much lower settlement than what you might have gotten had it not been for the pictures.

Preventing Problems With Social Media

If you have filed a personal injury case, the very best thing you can do is stop posting to your social media accounts until you are advised by your attorney. By not posting anything, you are not providing evidence for the defendant's attorney to take out of context. Even posting old photos can be misconstrued and cause a bump in the road for your case while your attorney works to prove that the pictures are not recent. Taking a break from social media during this time period is a small price to pay for a fair settlement.

Keep in mind that anything you post to social media that can be publicly viewed by anyone can be used as evidence against you. If you must use social media, be sure to discuss your use of different platforms with your attorney to make sure you are careful doing so.

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