Updated on: 11/22/2019
If you’ve been injured in a car accident as the result of someone’s negligence, you may benefit from filing a personal injury claim. Whether it’s a car accident, dog bite, pedestrian collision or medical malpractice, everyone has a right to fight for their rights.
Some Accident Victims Have More To Lose
If the accident is serious, there are potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line. Insurance companies are notorious for putting up a tough fight in even the smallest cases. The legal process should be taken seriously, and any slip-up can be very costly.
For those reasons, victims should be extremely careful with social media while filing a claim. Personal injury attorneys recommend that their clients stay off social media altogether. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and all the other mediums can do more harm than good, and any questionable post you make likely wasn’t worth the money it will cost you.
Here are four ways social media can ruin your personal injury claim:
- Incriminating evidence: This is the most obvious way that social media could come back to bite you. If you are claiming a back injury in your claim, but post pictures and updates of yourself playing golf and swimming, the insurance company will use that as evidence that you are exaggerating your injuries.
- Negative posts about the defendant: After your accident, you’re likely very angry at the person or party that injured you. Resisting the urge to bash the at-fault person on social media can be difficult, but it’s important you do so. Negative posts about the defendant can be used to portray you as bitter, unhinged or “sue happy.”
- Lack of emotional distress: As part of your personal injury lawsuit, you may be looking for damages related to emotional distress. If your social media feeds are full of pictures of you smiling, laughing, partying and generally enjoying life, it will likely be used against you. The insurance company will argue that the incident did not have a serious impact on you. While you may be feeling better in the weeks and months after your accident, it’s best to refrain from posting that.
- Destruction of evidence: If you do post something and decide to delete it, the insurance company’s lawyers will argue that you destroyed evidence. If it wasn’t that bad, why delete it? Even a simple misstep could derail your case.
These guidelines don’t just apply to you. Instruct your friends and family to not post about you, as their feeds will be monitored as well.
Free Consultation With Our Attorneys
If you or someone you love has suffered an injury because of another person's negligence, contact Attorney Chris Davis and the legal team at Davis Law Group, P.S. Dedicated to your best interest, Davis Law Group’s team of personal injury lawyers will protect your rights and pursue the most favorable outcome possible. Call (206) 727-4000 or fill out the contact form on this page for a free case evaluation.
