Social Media Can Hurt Your Personal Injury Claim: Six Tips To Protect Your Case
Even with privacy settings, anything you post on social media can become public. If you post about your personal injury claim online, what you post may be used against you. Insurance companies have a lot of time and resources dedicated to undermining legitimate claims because they don’t want to pay. If their investigators find something on your social media, no matter how harmless it seems, they will twist it and use it against you.
At Your Injury Law Firm, we want to make sure all of our clients are educated in the pitfalls that can negatively impact their claims. So we’ve put together a list of six tips to help make sure that your social media activity is not used against you. Here are the tips you should follow:
Never Post About Your Injuries
Your family and friends care about your safety and you may be tempted to let them know how you are fairing with a few updates on your social media. Know that anytime you post about your injuries, the insurance companies will try to take them out of context. For example, a simple “I’m still in a lot of pain, but the doctor says I’ll be okay,” can be twisted to mean your injuries aren’t as bad as you are saying. Always give your injuries updates in person.
Do Not Talk About Your Case Online
Not only should you not talk about the progress of your case, you shouldn’t post anything related to the case included conversations with the insurance companies, doctor’s visits, or meetings with your attorney. The insurance companies will be looking specifically for these kinds of posts to manipulate and use to discredit you.
Do Not Post Physical Activities
If you are currently in the middle of a personal injury claim, don’t post anything about physical activity. Even if the exercise or physical activity is part of your treatment program, insurance companies and their attorneys will use physical activities to argue that your injuries aren’t impacting your life in a negative way. So any pictures of hiking, working out, or even statuses about physical activities should be avoided.
Do Not Post Travel Pictures
The same rules apply to travel. Insurance companies and their attorneys will look at a recent trip as evidence that your injuries are not impacting your life. They can also argue that your injuries are not causing you any financial hardship, as travel is expensive. So save the vacation photos for another time.
Talk To Your Friends And Family
Make sure to talk to all of your friends and family and let them know not to talk about your injuries, your case, or tag you in posts or photos until your case is resolved. Insurance investigators will dig through your contacts online and will use their statuses against you as well. So have a quick sit down with the people closest to you and let them know how important it is they also exercise good judgment when posting online.
When In Doubt, Don’t Post Anything
We all enjoy social media, but if you still aren’t sure what you can and cannot post, your best bet is to either not post anything at all or turn it off completely. That way you can be 100% sure that no one will use your social media against you.
If you follow these tips, you will protect your best interests online. Remember, the insurance companies will always try to find ways to undermine your claims. Be aware and diligent. Also know that a qualified attorney will help protect you, even if you make a mistake online. At Your Injury Law Firm, our attorneys will always fight to protect you against the tricks and manipulations of insurance companies. Don’t risk losing your rights to a fair settlement, contact us today to help protect you.
