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Social Media and Your Personal Injury Case: 3 Things You Need to Know

If you’ve been injured in a slip-and-fall accident, a motor vehicle collision, or even by an animal bite, it’s important to avoid posting about the accident on social media. Here’s why.

If you’ve been injured in a personal accident, you’re probably feeling a lot of different emotions. You might be feeling stress from trying to juggle work and the personal injury case. You may be feeling tired or frustrated by your new physical limitations. You could even experience insomnia, depression, or anxiety as a result of the accident. When you choose to pursue legal help in a personal injury case, it’s important that you behave appropriately throughout the duration of the case. This includes following your doctor’s orders for resting, listening to your attorney’s guidelines for speaking about the case, and even being cautious about what you post on social media. Many adults don’t realize just how much social media can impact a personal injury case. If you’re in the midst of such a case, there are a few things you need to understand.

1. Insurance companies will look at your social media

When you file a claim with an insurance company, understand that they want what’s best for their company. This means they don’t want to pay out an exorbitant amount of money if they don’t have to. Insurance companies will investigate your claims to determine whether you’re as injured as you claim to be. One way that insurance companies check up on you is through your social media accounts. Almost every adult has social media accounts that list their friends, colleagues, and relatives. These social media accounts also tend to have pictures, stories, and videos from each person’s life. Social media gives insurance companies an easy way to determine whether you’re being honest about your injuries.

2. Pictures are worth a thousand words

One of the first things insurance companies look at are your social media pictures and videos. This is one of the tools they can use to determine whether your claim is real. For example, if you say that your neck was injured badly in a car accident, but then you post pictures on social media of you dancing with friends, the insurance company may claim that your injury isn’t as bad as you say it is. This can impact the amount of compensation you’re entitled to.

3. Comments from friends can impact your case

Understand that even if your social media pages are set to private, certain aspects still remain public. For example, if you have a public profile picture, investigators can still see who has “liked” or commented on that picture. They can also read the things that people say about your picture. If your friends make a comment about your case, about spending time with you, or about your recent activities, these comments can be collected and used against you, as well.

One of the best ways to protect yourself when it comes to social media and your personal injury case is to talk with your attorney. Let them know about your concerns and talk with them about the best ways to protect yourself during this time. Your lawyer wants you to have a positive experience when it comes to your personal injury case, so make sure you follow their instructions as you move forward.

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