Beware of Social Media When Pursuing an Injury Claim

Are you a social media user? Chances are, if you’ve stumbled upon this blog, you have at least one social media account. According to Pew Research Center, in 2014, nearly 75 percent of Internet users also used social media, and that number has only increased since then. Social media is a valuable tool for communication, allowing people to stay connected with friends, family and others in a way that never existed before. But social media is not always a good thing – something you might find out if you ever become involved in a personal injury claim.

How is it that social media can derail your injury claim? When you make an injury claim against a negligent party, that party has a major interest in limiting the amount of damages it is required to pay for your injuries. That party’s attorney will do everything in his or her power to collect evidence that undermines your injury claim.

Here’s an example. Tyler is driving down Westheimer on his way to work when he is T-boned at an intersection. He suffers injuries to his wrists, which he claims make him unable to create and sell art, his hobby and side job.

But as Tyler’s claim is making its way through the courts, Tyler continues to post pictures of his paintings to his Instagram account, which the negligent party’s attorney discovers. With one piece of Tyler’s claim proved demonstrably false, it casts doubt on the rest of Tyler’s claimed damages.

Do yourself a favor if you are involved in an injury claim – stay off Facebook and other social media apps.