Billions of people around the world have at least some sort of online, social media presence. On a daily basis, we may find ourselves sharing photos with loved ones, updating our professional network, or retweeting things we agree with. Social media is one of the main ways we communicate with one another, and it can feel like second nature. So how would that be affected by a personal injury claim?
If you’re a victim of a serious accident and working with a personal injury lawyer, there may be a few extra eyes paying special attention to what you’re sharing on social media: insurance adjusters.
Insurance companies will do their best to find ways to pay you less money than your personal injury lawyer
Asks for. It’s in the insurance company’s best interest to get you to settle for a lower amount, so they’re going to look into every possibility to make that happen. This includes checking what you post on your social media profiles!
After a serious car accident, you may want to share with loved ones how you’re doing. People may be checking up on you, asking questions about what happened. You might even share a few photos of what you’ve been up to. But while it’s nice for people to reach out, online conversations like this can be detrimental to your personal injury case.
For example, if a friend comments on one of your posts asking how you’re doing after the accident, you may end up discussing some of the specific details of your injuries without thinking much of it. If these posts are public, the insurance company can read through everything you’ve shared and use that information when determining your case. If what is said in those comments doesn’t reflect the information you’ve shared with your personal injury lawyer and the insurance company, this can be used against you.
The same concept goes for photos and videos. If you are claiming to be severely injured, yet posted a story of you on a bike ride, you’ve just done some major damage to your personal injury claim. If your personal injury claim outlines the amount of financial hardship you’re experiencing, but you’re sharing photos of an upscale vacation and being tagged in a picture at an expensive restaurant, the insurance company will undoubtedly consider that in their decision.
You can try to explain that the vacation photos were from last year, and that your friend treated you to a nice dinner because of everything you’re going through. While this might be absolutely true, the damage is done. A seed of doubt has already been planted in the insurance company’s mind, which is bad news!
Overall, it’s advisable to simply keep quiet on social media when going through a legal case, no matter what kind. Instead of having to explain everything you post, it’s easier to hit pause on social media sharing while insurance companies are looking into your personal injury claim. If you want to keep loved ones in the loop, do so by sharing private messages.