Facebook Affect the Outcome of Your Personal Injury Case
According to a recent study, almost two billion people are using social media. That means that about one out of every four human beings on this planet uses Facebook or Twitter or some similar networking site or app! But many people who use this new social phenomenon don’t realize the far-reaching impact it can have on you. For instance, posts that you make to social media can actually negatively influence the outcome of a personal injury case.
Here’s how that happens:
Posting personal pictures after an accident.
Social media sites are clogged with personal photos of people living their lives on a daily basis. However, if you have been in an accident, posting those pictures can ruin your case. Let’s say, for example, you are suing because of a back or neck injury following a car wreck. You are claiming that you cannot move well and are in pain during physical activity. If you post a picture or video of yourself dancing energetically at a friend’s wedding, you have literally just sunk your own case. The opposing attorney will do research on your social media accounts and can present this for evidence at trial.
Posting information about your injury.
Another way you can compromise your case is to post details about your injury. If you tell people you have been in a car accident, you may be moved to post a picture of the car or a selfie from the hospital recovery room. This is a huge mistake! An attorney for the other side can get hold of these pictures and suggest that they contradict your claims in your lawsuit. If you say you were in serious pain after the wreck, but you are posting a smiling selfie hours after the accident, you may be contradicting yourself. A good attorney will bring this up in court.
Complaining about someone or something.
It seems the Internet was made to complain about things. But imagine this scenario: You post almost daily complaints to Facebook about how much you hate your job and your boss. Then you file a lawsuit against your employer following an accident. A defense attorney could use your earlier posts to suggest you are bringing the suit simply to get even with your employer.
Spending all day online.
One last way that you can mess up your personal injury case is by spending all day online. If your complaint is that you are in too much pain to sit for long periods and perform the duties of a desk job, then you are going to be called out if the opposition can show you spend all day online. Posting every five minutes to Twitter or playing Facebook games 24/7 is a sure way to show you are in good enough shape to sit and play games. The question will then be, “Why can’t you also work from a desk?”
When it comes to posting on social media, the bottom line is this: Don’t do it! Especially if you are involved in a personal injury lawsuit you should avoid posting online completely until the case is resolved. If you have questions about this or about a potential personal injury claim, contact the law offices of Wolf & Pravato for more information.
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