You’re going to experience a lot of physical, emotional and financial strain after your car accident. Figuring out how to deal with these stressors can be tough, but it’s necessary if you want to achieve as full of a recovery as possible.
For some accident victims, turning to social media is a key outlet, allowing them to vent their frustrations, discuss their fears, and find support as they navigate the road ahead.
Yet, posting on social media can be extremely dangerous when you’re pursuing a personal injury lawsuit. In fact, your posts could end up jeopardizing the viability of your claim, putting you at risk of losing out on the compensation you deserve.
But why is posting on social media so risky? Let’s take a closer look.
When you pursue a legal claim, the defense is going to do everything it can to protect itself. While this certainly means diligently combing through the physical evidence of the wreck to try to shift the blame onto you, they’ll also scour every aspect of your life to see if there’s anything they can use against you. As it pertains to social media, then, you could face the following risks:
- Your posts will be used to show that you were to blame for the accident: The defense can twist your social media posts so that it looks like you’re apologetic for the accident or otherwise assuming some fault for the wreck. If they successfully do this, then the value of the claim can be significantly reduced.
- Your posts will be used to show that your injuries aren’t as severe as you claim them to be: Even if you successfully impose liability on the defendant, you’re still going to have to prove your damages if you want to recover the compensation that you’re owed. That can be tricky to do under the best of circumstances, but you could find yourself fighting an uphill battle if your social media posts show you acting in a way that doesn’t align with your claimed injuries.
- Your posts will be used to show that you’re working: One piece of your personal injury recovery will be lost wages. But if your social media posts indicate that you’re working in some fashion, even if it’s not in your normal job, then your recovery might not be as robust as you thought.
- Your posts will be used to try to reduce non-economic damages: Non-economic damages, like pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life, can be difficult to prove, which is why it’s a good idea to keep a journal of how your accident injuries have negatively impacted your daily life. But if your social media posts show you living a happy life, then you’re going to have extra work to do to convince a judge or jury that your social media posts don’t paint the full picture.
- Your posts will be used to catch you in inconsistencies: If nothing else, the defense is going to look at your social media posts to see if there’s a way to use them to demonstrate that you’ve made inconsistent statements. This can damage your credibility and reliability, which can negatively impact the power of your arguments in court.
Don’t raise obstacles to your own personal injury case
There’s a lot that can go wrong in a personal injury case, but you can avoid a lot of the pitfalls along the way by being aware and prepared. You certainly don’t want to be your own worst enemy in your case.
So, as you build your case, be sure to familiarize yourself with the law and what you can do to build the best personal injury case possible under the circumstances.