How Social Media Could Affect Your Personal Injury Claim

Social media has become the primary way many of us stay in touch with family and friends, learn news about people and topics we care about, and stay connected to the world around us. When you’ve been injured, however, taking to social media to talk about your situation can negatively affect your personal injury claim.

Here’s how social media can harm your claim, and what to do instead:

Insurance companies can and will check your social media.

If you’re on social media, chances are good that insurance companies will find you – and will try to use your posts to argue that your injuries are trivial and don’t need compensation. Social media posts or comments left on these posts can easily be taken out of context; a simple “I’m doing better today” can become the basis of an argument against compensating the losses you’ve actually suffered.

Instead of updating friends and family on social media, speak in person to those closest to you who form your core support group.

Social media posts can be introduced against you in court.

Evidence rules regarding hearsay keep many out-of-court statements from being used against you during a trial. However, these rules don’t apply to social media posts you make about your own condition. Instead, posts you make are treated as a “statement of a party-opponent” or a “statement against interest” when they’re introduced at trial by the opposing party. This means that not only can an insurance company use your social media posts to argue for a lower settlement amount during negotiations, they can also use them to “prove” your injuries are minor during trial.

If you have any questions about what to post to social media while your personal injury claim is ongoing, talk to your lawyer first. Activate the privacy settings on your accounts, and limit what you post.

If you’ve been injured, it’s wise to keep your progress off social media – even if you use privacy settings on your accounts. Instead, talk to an experienced lawyer who can help you obtain the compensation you need. Contact Purchase George and Murphey P.C. today at (814) 580-5017 to learn more.

The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney/client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.