The Effects of Social Media on Personal Injury Cases

If you are filing a personal injury claim after a negligent party harmed you then you should know that your social media can be used as evidence to devalue your claim and harm your case. In fact, when a claim is filed, one of the first actions an insurance adjuster does is to check all social media platforms to see if they can find your accounts. If they do locate them, an adjuster will spend time and effort studying your profiles to find anything that can be used against you and to undercut your case.

When you file your claim, it is important that you know what to do during the claims process so you don’t jeopardize your ability to recover compensation. This includes adjusting how you use social media.

For more information on filing a personal injury claim in Florida and for tips to be successful, you may contact a Tampa personal injury attorney at Fulgencio Law.

Social Media and Its Impact on Personal Injury Claims

If you are not someone who uses social media then you don’t have to worry about making any temporary changes in your routine. However, since so many people at least use one form of social media, there is a good chance that if you are reading this, you are one of them.

Social media use has the potential to undermine your claim and your ability to get the financial compensation you need to recoup your losses after an injury accident. What you post can and will, if found by an insurance adjuster or attorney, be used against you.

Let’s say that you are demanding payment for your pain and suffering. As a result, you and your attorney may have come to a determination regarding how much money would be fair for these damages. If you post images or make comments about engaging in physical activities or going to parties or anything else that could indicate you are not experiencing much or any pain or suffering, an adjuster will seize on the opportunity to use those posts and deny your damages. An adjuster can argue that you are not credible and that your posts show that the harm you allege is not as bad as you are saying it is.

To be safe it is best to stay off of social media while your claim is open, but if you are having difficulty doing this then you should do the following:

• Make sure your social media profiles are not public. Only those people that you personally know should be able to see your accounts.
• Never make any posts about your personal injury case.
• Do not accept new friend requests unless you are certain you know who they are. An adjuster could try and get past your privacy settings by being accepted as one of your friends.
• If you have posted messages that could be detrimental to your case do not delete them. Doing so will make you look like you are trying to cover up and hide information.

Call Fulgencio Law Today

To schedule a free case evaluation to discuss your case, please call Fulgencio Law at (813) 463-0123.