How Can Social Media Affect Your Personal Injury Case?

If you work with a lawyer soon after sustaining an injury caused by the actions of another party, you may be surprised when you hear your lawyer tell you not to use social media. We know that our lives largely play out online through social media platforms, and it can be tempting to post about any type of injury or recovery process you go through. However, social media posts, whether or not they are about the incident or the injuries, the recovery, or your everyday life, can affect the outcome of your personal injury claim against another party. Speak to an accident attorney in Lexington to learn more. 

Why is Social Media a Problem for Injury Claims?

Social media can create so many problems for a personal injury claim. If you hear your attorney tell you not to use social media, please listen. They are speaking from experience, and they know what can happen. Perfectly valid injury claims can quickly become unraveled due to one social media post.

After an injury occurs, insurance carriers and attorneys for the at-fault party will most certainly start digging into your personal life. This is particularly true if the claim involves potentially significant payouts. These other parties will look for any reason to limit how much compensation they pay or to deny the claim altogether.

Posting on social media could have the following effects on the case:

• Posting information about the initial incident could be taken as official statements about what happened at the scene.
• Photographs posted online could be manipulated by other parties and used against the original poster.
• Social media posts about everyday activities could be used as evidence by the insurance carriers or legal teams to show the injuries are not as severe as stated.

We strongly suggest not posting anything on social media while a personal injury claim is ongoing. Even posting something as seemingly innocuous as walking your dog could affect the outcome of an injury claim. A post about going to the grocery store could be taken out of context. 

A note on privacy settings

There is no such thing as privacy concerning social media. Even if you have your privacy settings set to maximum, the reality is that anything you share online could become visible to others. All it takes is one family member or friend to re-share a post that you made for it to become visible. We encourage you never to underestimate the tactics insurance carriers or legal teams will use to gain access to your information as they seek to limit compensation payouts.

Stay Silent Until Your Claim is Finished

Your number one priority after sustaining an injury in Kentucky is to get better. Doing so typically means recovering the compensation you need for your medical bills, lost income, out-of-pocket expenses, and pain and suffering damages. Posting on social media is a dangerous game to play when you have an ongoing personal injury claim against an at-fault party. Maximize your chances of recovering compensation by following your Lexington injury attorney’s instructions, which will almost always include minimizing your use of social media.