From sharing your pictures, videos, and thoughts to “checking in” to various locations for your friends, your family, or even the world to see, social media has become part of our daily lives. Many people have Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media accounts and check them constantly.
However, if you have been injured in an accident caused by the negligence of another party, you need to be careful about oversharing on your social media accounts. The truth is that a seemingly harmless post, image, video, comment, or tag may damage your chances of recovering the financial compensation you deserve.
The following are several reasons why social media can harm your personal injury case:
- All relevant evidence is admissible – Social media posts are considered public record. This means attorneys and investigators in a personal injury case can obtain anything you post to the public online.
- Potentially conflicting evidence – The goal of the other party and their insurance company is to find anything that conflicts with your case. For instance, if you claim to have suffered a broken leg in a car accident and you post photos of playing sports or going out with your friends without a cast or a leg brace, those photos can be used against you to deny your claim. In another example, if you are claiming pain and suffering and/or emotional distress but there are photos or videos of you smiling for the camera, this could cost you your noneconomic damages.
- Waiving confidentiality – Whatever you share with your lawyer is confidential, which means you cannot share such information with others. However, people tend to share private information on social media to express themselves or vent about their frustrations. Sharing includes commenting on your case, discussing your injuries, posting photos or videos about the accident and your injuries, talking negatively about the other people involved in your case, etc. Sharing confidential information to others means your case is no longer confidential, which means the other party can use such information against you.
If you are currently in the middle of a personal injury case or considering filing a lawsuit, it is imperative to cease all social media activity until the conclusion of your case. Set all your accounts to private and ask all friends and family to discuss the case on your pages, share any images with you in them, or tag you in anything. Deleting all your social media accounts may seem like you’re destroying evidence, so avoid doing so.
For more information about personal injury cases in Oklahoma, contact the Law Offices of Keith J. Nedwick, P.C. today and request a free meeting to learn about your available legal options.