Be Careful What You Share: Social Media Posts Can Harm Your Personal Injury Case

Social media is a slippery slope. It can be a great outlet to see pictures of your friends’ children, wish someone a happy birthday, follow the happenings of your favorite celebrity, learn new recipes – the list is seemingly endless. However, that accessibility is packaged with vulnerability, and what you share can come back to haunt you. Some people have lost their jobs due to social media, and a recent study found that 43 percent of employers who use social media to look for candidates have found something that caused them not to hire someone. We’ve all heard the cautionary tales of teenagers who post inappropriate photos that then plague them as they apply for college, interview for jobs, embark on new relationships. Comments, photos, statuses, tweets, and the like can seem harmless and be posted innocently, but, as in these other situations, it only takes one to negatively affect a legal claim and eliminate the injured party’s chances for the best possible recovery. When negligence results in someone being injured, that person has the right to seek reimbursement for the expenses associated with the physical injury, as well as compensation for the mental and emotional damages that are a consequence of the injury. The party that is accused of being responsible for causing the injury will search for any evidence that even hints that the damage is not as severe as the victim contends. Defendants and insurance companies do not want to pay – and they’ve learned that social media can be a reliable, plentiful source of information. Anything that is posted publicly on the Internet, by you or about you, can be used as evidence in a personal injury action. Of course, as time goes on, your injuries may heal or you may adapt your life to allow for them. But taken out of context, that picture of you at a wedding or holding a baby or sightseeing can be enough to introduce doubt about the severity of your injuries. So, no matter how tempting it may be, the best thing you can do is resist the urge to share anything about your case. In fact, temporary suspension of your social media accounts is ideal, but few people find themselves able to follow that advice. Help yourself by making sure that your online profiles are marked as private, and don’t accept any new friend requests. Ask friends and relatives not to post about you or anything related to the accident until your case is resolved. If there are already pictures or videos of you online that have been taken since your injury, delete them and also remove past posts that can be used against you (for example, a pre-accident comment about neck pain could be manipulated into evidence that the accident wasn’t the cause of your neck injury). Take a minute and search for yourself online. If you find something concerning that might affect your claim, bring it to your attorney’s attention for evaluation. If you have any questions about this topic, you can find out more by discussing it with one of the personal injury attorneys at the Johnson Law Firm. We have years of experience helping people, and we can help you. Our knowledgeable legal team will work closely with you every step of the way and will fight hard to get you the compensation you deserve. Based in Pikeville, KY, we proudly serve communities throughout the Bluegrass State. Contact us by calling 606-437-4488 or by filling out our online form.

Attorney Billy Johnson

William “Billy” Johnson grew up in the Dorton area of Pike County, Kentucky, and early on decided to stay in the beautiful Appalachian mountains. Like many others in Eastern Kentucky, Billy’s dad worked as a coal miner, a hard job but one that taught his son how to meet challenges head on and persevere. Attorney Billy Johnson has years of experience helping injured clients with claims such as car, truck, and motorcycle accidents, wrongful deaths, work injuries, and more. [ Attorney Bio ]

FREE Case Consult

MAKE IT OUR FIGHT

    Table of Contents

    RECENT ARTICLES

    Categories

    Archives

    • Pikeville Personal Injury Lawyer
    • Pikeville Personal Injury Lawyer
    • Pikeville Personal Injury Lawyer
    • Pikeville Personal Injury Lawyer
    • Pikeville Personal Injury Lawyer