At the offices of William Rawlings & Associates, we specialize in personal injury cases of all kinds. Whether you’ve been in an accident, injured by a dog bite or harmed in a number of different ways where another party may be liable, our personal injury attorneys will help you get the compensation you deserve by law.
This includes walking you through the entire process of a personal injury case, plus helping you avoid any factors or behaviors that might detract from your case. One such possible detractor in today’s modern age? Social media. How could this be the case, you ask? Let’s look at how the wrong uses of social media can cost you the successful completion of your personal injury case, plus some precautions to take to ensure this doesn’t happen to you.
There’s an unfortunate reality we often find when it comes to Facebook, Instagram and other forms of social media: Many users of these services seem to think they’re entitled to far more privacy than what reality actually dictates. Virtually anything you put online through these networks can be found, including posts, pictures, messages or shares.
There have been numerous instances recently of private online information becoming exposed – even if you think your messages to friends are only for them, this might not be the case. In general, you should simply assume that anything you’ve put online can be discovered.
Within the world of personal injury cases, the above information has some direct consequences. Defense attorneys and insurance companies will absolutely use information posted on social networks to help poke holes in your case – we’ve seen this torpedo more than one personal injury case in the past.
Consider a basic example where you were injured in a car accident by a driver you’re claiming was negligent, one you’re attempting to receive compensation from for your injuries. You claim serious back pain that’s preventing you from working and obtaining wages…but then just a few days later, you post an Instagram video of you playing basketball at the gym. Insurance companies or defense attorneys are absolutely within their rights to use this post against you during trial or out-of-court negotiations, and this could dramatically lower the compensation you end up with if it’s proven that your injuries or hardship are far less than what you claimed.
There are a few basic steps you can take to prevent this from happening to you:
For more on preventing social media from torpedoing your personal injury case, or to learn about any of our car accident, dog bite or personal injury attorney services, speak to the staff at the offices of William Rawlings & Associates today.