Over the years, social media has become a stronghold in the lives of many U.S. citizens. It is common for us to share our life events via social media when anything happens to us, big or small. For many, sharing posts, photos, and videos online has become almost second nature to keep our friends and families updated. However, if you have been injured and are pursuing a personal injury claim, posting on social media can have a negative impact on your claim. If you have been injured due to the negligence of another party, it is best to stay off social media entirely. While a simple post about your current activities or describing what happened may seem harmless, it may be used by the opposing party against you. Protecting your rights to just compensation for your injuries is essential. Therefore, taking a brief hiatus from social media during your personal injury claim is highly suggested to ensure that you receive the maximum compensation you deserve for your injuries.
Have you experienced an injury due to the negligence of another? Contact Ali Awad, ‘the CEO Lawyer,’ and his team of experienced personal injury attorneys at the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm by calling (470) 323-8779 or contacting us online to receive your free and confidential case evaluation. Attorney Ali Awad, ‘the CEO Lawyer,’ established the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm and quickly turned it into one of the fastest-growing law firms in the country. If we take your case, you won’t pay anything until we win. Sadly, our personal injury attorneys have seen multiple cases in which personal injury claimants have shared too much online, thereby accidentally damaging their cases. Below find some tips to follow while awaiting compensation for your personal injury claim.
How Can Social Media Negatively Impact My Case?
By posting on social media, you create potential evidence that may be used against you in your personal injury claim. For example, despite having legitimate injuries due to the negligence of another party, you may casually post something in which you appear fine. In other cases, a party may post about going out, going on vacation, going to the gym, or going to work, which may contradict or undermine your claim. Insurance companies and attorneys are vigilant in finding evidence to downplay your injuries or potentially accuse you of fraud. They often do so by extensively knit-picking through your social media accounts.
Social Media Tips During a Personal Injury Claim
As anything posted online on social media may be used against you and negatively affect your compensation claim, do your best to avoid this common mistake by following a few social media tips:
- Ensure that you do not post anything about your accident. Any mistake or detail may be used to publish misinformation or accidentally incriminate yourself.
- Never post about the status of your injuries. This information may be used to downplay your injuries or give insurers too much information they could use against you later.
- Avoid posting videos or photos of yourself or tagging your location. Unfortunately, the mere appearance that you are enjoying life despite your injuries can be used to downplay the extent of your injuries and suffering.
- Furthermore, opposing parties may go as far as to look at friends and/or family accounts. Ask your family and friends not to post anything about you or with you in it for the duration of your personal injury claim.
Can You Use Privacy Settings?
Social media will never assist you during a personal injury lawsuit. Conversely, it may severely diminish your chance of recovering just compensation for your injuries. The best way to protect your rights during a personal injury claim is to deactivate your social media accounts temporarily.
However, in the event that you cannot take a break from social media, consider the following tips to protect your claim:
- Adjust your privacy settings – ensure your profile is private
- Review all existing posts or things you are tagged in
- Ensure your friends or following list is not public
- Ensure that your email and phone number are hidden
- Request search engines do not link your profile
- Do not accept new friend requests
- Avoid posting anything about your case, including your frustrations
- Only use social media to view others’ comments and posts rather than posting anything on your account.
- Update friends and family in person or through a telephone call rather than through social media
Understanding that even if you have a private account, nothing shared online is genuinely personal. There are still ways to obtain information about you when posting to social media. This is why it is best to avoid posting to social media for the duration of your claim. Someone from the insurance company, opposing counsel, or a person connected to the defendant may attempt to monitor you through social media. Alternatively, in some cases, your social media accounts may be subpoenaed, regardless of privacy settings. A subpoena may also have the power to pull up previously deleted posts and private messages. This is why it is best to keep it simple and stress-free and simply quit using social media for the duration of your personal injury claim to mitigate any risk.
Can You Use Privacy Settings?
Deactivating your social media accounts or taking a break from posting are better options than updating your privacy settings and continuing to post like usual. Private investigators can work around privacy settings. In some cases, an attorney can subpoena your social media records.
Experienced Georgia Personal Injury Lawyer
Retaining an experienced personal injury attorney for your claim is one of the best things you can do to ensure you receive the just compensation you deserve. At the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm, we can assist you throughout your personal injury claim and ensure that you have the most robust claim possible built. We are here for you to ensure your rights are protected and that you receive the advice you need every step of the way with our wealth of legal experience in a wide variety of personal injury cases.
Call Ali Awad, ‘the CEO Lawyer,’ and his experienced team of wrongful death attorneys today to receive a free, no-obligation consultation. We can assist you with exploring your legal options and avenues to ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve. Contact the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm by calling (470) 323-8779 or contacting us online. If we take your case, you won’t pay anything until we win.
