How Social Media Can Hurt Your Personal Injury Claim

By Stewart Law Offices
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How Social Media Can Make or Break Your Personal Injury Case

If you’re like most of the world, you log on to at least one social media platform throughout the day. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and other social networks are great resources for keeping up with friends and networking. But they can also be dangerous if you’re in the middle of a personal injury claim.

How Can Social Media Impact My Personal Injury Claim?

In most personal injury cases, you’ll be seeking compensation from the at-fault party’s insurance company, or possibly your own. However, insurers are in the business of saving money. They accomplish that goal by making the lowest payouts possible to claimants like you.

All personal injury claims are built around strong evidence. Your lawyer will collect proof to demonstrate why the other party should be held liable for your injuries, lost wages, property damage, and pain and suffering. But at the same time, the insurance company will be seeking evidence to show why you don’t deserve compensation. Where do they look? Many places, including social media.

If you aren’t careful, your social media could provide a treasure trove of information that could be used against you by the insurance company.

Let’s say you are demanding compensation for neck and back injuries that you suffered in a car accident. If you post pictures of yourself playing baseball weeks after the accident, the insurance company could use that to argue that you’re not as hurt as you claim to be. If they succeed, your claim could be reduced or even dismissed.

How to Protect Your Personal Injury Claim

There are simple ways to prevent insurance companies from collecting evidence from your social media accounts. Here are some tips:

  • Limit what you post: Don’t mention anything related to your accident or injuries online. That includes posting status updates, photos, or any other information about the claim. This is important while your case is underway, but also after you’ve settled. According to CNN, a man had an $80,000 settlement revoked after his daughter boasted about the award on Facebook. That’s because she violated the terms of the confidential settlement agreement.
  • Adjust your privacy settings: Restrict access to the highest privacy setting possible.
  • Ask friends and family not to post any pictures of you: Tell them that you are in the middle of legal proceedings and that something they share could inadvertently hurt your claim.
  • Review your list of “friends”: Don’t accept friend requests from names you don’t recognize. It could be an adjuster trying to access your information.

Hurt? Let Stewart Law Offices Fight for the Compensation You’re Owed

Stewart Law Offices is an accomplished personal injury firm serving clients in South Carolina and North Carolina. For more than three decades, our team of experienced trial lawyers have demanded — and won — full and fair compensations for thousands of injured people just like you.

Schedule a free consultation with a personal injury attorney today. Stewart Law Offices has locations in Rock Hill, Spartanburg, Columbia, and Beaufort, S.C.**and Charlotte, N.C.

Don’t wait another minute to get on the path to justice. Call or contact us now for your free case review.

Originally published December 2016. Refreshed August 2023.

Getting in any kind of accident can change your life. We understand the stress, the medical bills, the time missed from work, and the pain and suffering that comes with serious injuries. That is why our dedicated personal injury lawyers in the Carolinas are here to help you move forward.