Social media has become an important part of our lives. From what we eat to where we travel, everything is online for our friends and family to see. Revealing details about our personal lives and ongoings on social media can have its pros and cons. In case of a personal injury or an ongoing settlement, the activity of the involved parties on social can be considered an important piece of information.
Let us understand the impact of social media on a personal injury claim through an example. Let’s say that you’re a victim of a car accident seeking damages including medical expenses related to hindered or restricted mobility as a result of the accident. But the insurer of the at-fault party checks your social media and finds that you checked into a gym or health center. In such a scenario, this could work against you. Alternatively, your personal injury attorney may find that the at-fault driver had checked into a bar before the accident. This could come in handy to prove negligence.
Here are some other scenarios you should know about social media and its impact on your personal injury case:
- Contradicting the testimony: As shared in the example above, it may so happen that while your testimony alleges a certain claim, it may be contradicted on social media through the posts made by you. Hence, it is imperative that you’re careful about you post especially in an ongoing personal injury case.
- Comments from friends: Often harmless comments by friends and family related to the personal injury case on your social media can have a negative impact on the settlement process
- Strengthening you claim: social media is not all bad, it can also come in handy and play a positive role by strengthening your testimony.
- Admissible evidence: In New York, social media content relevant to a personal injury claim is admissible evidence, that is, a personal injury attorney can use social media posts as evidence in a settlement case.
While it is not possible to complete eliminate your life online, it is highly advisable to refrain from posting during an ongoing personal injury claim. Moreover, when you hire a personal injury attorney to represent you, make sure you allow them to access your social media history so that they are able to find any relevant information that could possibly have an impact, positive or negative, on your case.
If you or someone you know has been injured due to someone’s negligence, you need the top injury lawyers, contact Siler & Ingber today. Call us on 1-877-529-4343 or complete our online form on this page to schedule a case evaluation with one of our experienced personal injury attorneys. Our consultation is free and we do not charge a fee unless we win your case.