Social Media and your Personal Injury Case
If your social media posts are examined as part of a personal injury investigation, what would they reveal? Pew Research Center, July 2015, states that 76% of adults use social networking sites such as Facebook, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Using social media has become so comfortable as a communication medium that people are often more revealing in this environment. Posts involve sharing insightful and very personal information about themselves, their whereabouts, their business, and others. Although there are settings to make posts more private, most people post for public viewing without realizing it.
Using Social Media for Investigation
Social media, such as Facebook, has been used to investigate insurance or personal injury claims. Post status updates, videos, photos, and videos can be used as evidence in court to determine fault. It’s as simple as printing or taking a “screen shot” of your social media posts. Anyone has the right to look you up online, and everyone has access to your public information as a Facebook member with a profile. Checking your Facebook may happen to make sure that you are telling the truth about your accident or injuries. For example, if you make an insurance claim for damage to your vehicle that happened on Monday, then you post a photo on Tuesday which shows no damage…the conclusion may be that you have committed fraud. This is just one example of how your social media posts can impact a legal investigation.
Protect Yourself on Social Media
The best advice is to not be fraudulent in your claim. You should consider updating your settings so that only your friends on Facebook can see your posts. Be careful about what you post, and what you say. Social media may not be the best platform for details about an accident or injury case that you don’t want to share with the world. Remember that nothing online is ever private.
Your Personal Injury Case
Injured? Take Action! If you are involved in an accident and have serious injuries caused by the negligence of another person or people, contact Action Law Offices for appointment. Your first consultation is free. We’ll listen to your side of the story, answer some of your questions, and let you know if you may have compensation due. If you decide to hire Action Law Offices, we have three Wisconsin locations to serve you.
