South Florida Injury Attorneys Blog
Are you trying to prove your sustained damages were caused from someone else’s negligence? It might not be as simple as you think. When you decide to file a personal injury lawsuit, especially against a business or large organization, extensive investigation goes into reviewing what happened during the accident to prove the fault of an accused guilty party. Surprisingly, your social media presence can potentially ruin your case.
Before you post any content regarding your accident on any platform for hundreds to see, it’s important you know the risks. Here’s how social media can ruin your personal injury claim and how to go about your lawsuit the right way.
Why Do People Post About Their Injury on Social Media?
If you have any social media accounts, you have probably seen several postings before about detailed injuries people have sustained. There have also been viral videos posted of civilians being injured as they are out and about by falling objects at stores or some other way that demonstrates it was a business’s fault.
Social media can be an outlet for sharing lives with others, whether to feel validated or just let friends and family know what is going on in their lives. Unfortunately, sometimes these posts can be detrimental to a legal case.
If you have recently suffered an injury of some sort at the responsibility of someone else, don’t automatically turn to social media as your outlet. Social media can have repercussions for allowing those close to you become too involved with your daily life.
How Social Media Can Harm Your Lawsuit
Your social media posts can be considered as written material, just as text messages. If it is out there for the world to see and if the defense attorney sees these posts, it could be detrimental to your lawsuit. You could potentially word something wrongly in your post and that could be used against you. The comments of your friends and family can be used against you too.
There can also become the problem with social media creating inconsistencies in your story with posts that don’t pertain to the accident at all. For instance, if you’ve filed a claim with your insurance to seek compensation for your injuries but post a check-in at the gym while you’re supposed to be healing, this can result in a lower settlement offer or being outright denied, even though you may only be doing physical therapy for your injuries.
What Not to Post on Social Media After An Accident
If you’re someone who is very active on social media, it can seem very tempting to share this unbelievable, traumatic news with friends and family. However, until you’ve spoken to a lawyer, or the dust has settled, refrain from posting the following on your accounts:
- Photos of the accident
- Private conversations or information discussed with your lawyer
- Tags of yourself in anything you’ve done with family or friends after the accident
Another rule of thumb is to never accept friend requests from anyone you don’t know during your lawsuit. This could be an investigator trying to view your profile for any evidence or posts that go against what you’re saying, such as the previous example of you checking in at the gym when you’re healing.
Why Personal Injury Cases Are So Tedious
Personal injury cases can be difficult to prove because accidents happen every day and it is sometimes tricky to distinguish if the injury sustained was purposeful and avoidable or purely an accident. That’s why if you suffer an accident in Boca Raton, Florida, you can benefit from the assistance of a Boca Raton Personal Injury Lawyer on your side.
Slip and falls are some of the most common personal injury cases. Most of the time, businesses and other organizations provide a caution warning notice that there might be a slippery floor in the area due to certain circumstances. For example, if there’s a caution sign out and you fall and break your hip, the chances of winning your case will be hindered because the business provided a warning. On the other hand, if the business failed to provide a warning, then you might have a case.
The key to a successful outcome by proving fault in a personal injury case is having sufficient evidence that demonstrates the business, organization, or person knew about potential harmful hazards and failed to warn those who were around or fix the situation.
Since these cases are so susceptible, it’s best to not post any details, even the ones that seem harmless, on social media.
How To Handle Personal Injury Claims
The right way to use social media in a personal injury claim is to avoid using it completely. As soon as you suffer from an accident on someone else’s property, the first thing you should do is seek medical attention and begin your healing process.
If you are severely hurt, medical records can be very useful in your lawsuit by your attorney later on. Once you are healed or able to seek legal help, you should find a Boca Raton Personal Injury Lawyer to help build your case.
Your attorney may also advise you against speaking about your claim to anyone in person and online. The only person you should ever speak about your case with is your attorney. This ensures that all shared information stays in a trustworthy place and cannot be twisted and used against you.
If your accident is eligible to seek compensation through your insurance company, it’s best to let your attorney do most of the talking on your behalf so you can avoid inadvertently saying anything about the accident to decrease a settlement offer or be denied.
The best part about working with an attorney is that they will give you expert advice on what to do and how to go about your claim. In situations where it matters the most, your attorney can act as your advocate and do most of the speaking whether that is to your insurance company, to another attorney, or in court.
Speak with A Qualified Personal Injury Lawyer Today
Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers is a team of dedicated personal injury attorneys ready to take on your case. It’s our duty to help you seek compensation you deserve from an injury at the expense of someone else’s wrongdoing.
Our attorneys are highly awarded and acclaimed. We have helped residents in Boca Raton, Florida and surrounding locations recover millions of dollars in damages combined (by appointment only). We know how difficult personal injury battles can be and how the smallest, most innocent shared detail can cause a less than favorable outcome.
That’s why we want to help you.
You can begin your case with us by scheduling a free consultation by calling our firm at (561) 800-8000 or visiting us online. One of our attorneys will get back to you about setting up a date that fits your schedule.
We would love to help you right this unfortunate wrong and seek compensation to assist with medical bills and bring closure to the accident.
Do not wait any longer. Call Frankl Kominsky Injury Lawyers today.