How Social Media Can Hurt Your Personal Injury Claim
February 7th, 2022
Posting on social media platforms allows your personal life to become public information. When you make a post, you may think your friends and family are your only audience but the information you post on any platform is easily accessible to anyone prepared to pry into your personal life.
If you were involved in an accident or are a victim of a personal injury, it can be natural to notify your followers on social media of your situation, however, this information can be used against your favor. Posting about your accident, even if it was with good intentions, can be used to manipulate your words and create a false narrative of your situation.
Austin car accident attorney at Ramos James Law, PLLC, recommends not using social media until your injury claim has been decided. If you decide to continue posting online, you should be informed on how interacting online can hurt your injury claim.
Your Posts on Social Media Can Be Used as Evidence Against Your Claim
After filing a personal injury claim, the defense team may search your social media accounts to find anything that can be used against you. Their goal is to dodge paying what they owe you by shifting the blame of your personal injury onto you.
It is common to be stressed and overwhelmed after a car accident and to vent to friends and family online. However, no matter how harmless you think your post is, it can be used by the defense attorney to dispute your injury and minimize your claim.
Using Social Media After an Accident
It is suggested to lay off social media while the litigation process is in progress. If you decide to post online, there are some things you can do to protect yourself from being debunked.
The tips will come in handy if you post on social media after submitting a personal injury claim:
1. Be selective with your posts.
It’s for the best if you avoid posting any pictures of you in the hospital, of the accident, or pictures involving your recovery process. You may want to be wary of posting anything positive, as well, even if it is irrelevant to the accident or injury.
The defense party can claim you are not in distress or in any pain if you are posting yourself being active and having fun.
2. Change your privacy settings.
It is advised you go into your privacy settings on your social media accounts and change your profiles to private, if they aren’t already. You can do this just while the process is occurring.
3. Ask not to be tagged in photos and posts.
It is suggested you ask your friends and family to not tag you in any posts during the ongoing investigation. You can also check your setting and turn off the ability to be tagged in others’ posts.
4. Be aware of friend requests from people you don’t know.
If you get a friend request from someone who is unfamiliar to you or has a strange profile, it can be individuals who are looking into your claim. You should only accept requests from people you know until the claims process is over.
5. Do not delete existing posts.
If you posted about your car accident, don’t delete the post because it can seem suspicious and self-incriminating. Leave your posts up but refrain from making any more posts about the accident until your insurance claim is resolved.