How Social Media Can Ruin Your Personal Injury Case
Insurance companies look for any and all opportunities to save money by denying claims and injuries. They will take everyday harmless activities as indications that you are either not hurt or fully recovered. An injury does not prevent you from going to the gym and doing a light workout. An injury does not prevent you from going to a concert and enjoying yourself. Unfortunately, the insurance companies don’t see if that way.
Social media can ruin your case.
Everyone uses social media these days. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube are the norm. We are constantly documenting our lives—especially the fun, cool, good parts of life. We want the world to see how awesome we are. The problem is, once you submit a personal injury claim there is a good chance an insurance adjuster will start watching your social media posts. On large enough cases, insurance adjusters will not only monitor your social media posts but also hire a private investigator to follow you and to take pictures and videos of you. Private investigators are trained and licensed to dig up dirt on you. This is their only job. When you “check in” at a restaurant or other public location, you are inadvertently telling the investigator where to find you. That makes their job too easy. Investigators can also find a way to see and document what you post on social media, even if your settings are private.
The key takeaway here is that you should always keep your social media private while your case is pending, and you should never post anything in any way that could discredit your case. If the adjuster handling your case determines that the injuries you have sustained are not due to the accident in question but to some other activity he saw on your social media account, then you have not only lost your case, but also will not recover what is owed to you. Do you think you can just skip the adjuster and go straight to court and avoid this? Think again! The defense lawyer for the insurance company will generally be able to admit your photos and posts to cross-examine you.
Keep in mind, as long as you are acting consistently with what you are telling medical providers, lawyers, and the adjuster, posting on social media may not be a problem.
Get Hall-Justice Law Firm.
If you or a family member have been in a car accident, truck accident, motorcycle accident, slip and fall or other injury and you have questions about your case, contact Hall-Justice Law Firm today (765) 742-2987. Susannah Hall-Justice has been helping the people of Lafayette for over 22 years and she will give you the personal justice you deserve. No fee unless we win your case.
