In today’s digital age, many people enjoy sharing their whereabouts on social media. But there are times when it is better to stay off social media as it can prevent additional issues related to your catastrophic injury claim. It is the ideal place for the opposition to dig for personal information related to your case.
Documenting your daily life on the internet can be detrimental to the whole legal process. Most Hawaii catastrophic injury attorney advice to refrain from using social media while filing a personal injury claim. Unfortunately, the things you share on the internet can be used as evidence against you in court. For instance, if you post about having fun with family and friends, and claim you sustained a severe injury, the opposition may think you are lying or exaggerating the incident.
Why posting can hurt your claim?
The vast majority of people own a portable device such as a smartphone, tablet or computer. It is easy to access social media channels platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. But posting on social media can be a bad idea, especially if you are negotiating a settlement. It is common for claim adjusters or your Hawaii catastrophic injury attorney to search these sites when handling your claim. The evidence gathered can impact your catastrophic injury settlement in various ways:
- Pictures – When you post photographs that contradict previous statements about the accident when you were initially filing your claim, insurance adjusters could argue that you had not suffered the severe injuries you claimed.
- Unreliable statements – Inconsistent statements about the nature of your injuries may reduce your claim.
- Posts by friends and followers – Sometimes friends and family tag you in a post related to your injuries or accident. Any inappropriate or inconsistent comment they make could be misinterpreted by the insurance adjuster. So it is crucial you don’t post anything related to the accident or allow your friends tag you while your attorney is handling your claim.
- Location – If you were engaging in questionable activities and in conflicting locations at the time of the alleged accident or during recovery, chances are the location information will be used against you in court.
Some helpful tips
- Don’t post on social media while your claim is pending.
- Check your settings and make sure others don’t tag you.
- Allow only close friends and family access to your pictures.
- Never post about your health and whereabouts or how you are feeling.
- Don’t become friends with strangers. It might be an insurance adjuster or attorney.
Our experienced advice
If you need help with filing your personal injury claim in Hawaii, contact our law offices today and schedule your initial case assessment with Hawaii personal injury attorney Jed Kurzban. We know how to stop insurance companies from using your posts against you. The first step is putting down your social media apps and giving us a call. We look forward to speaking with you!