5 Ways Social Media can Affect Your Personal Injury Suit

If you can’t stay without posting things on social media or are simply addicted to it, you are not alone. Pew Research study, conducted in 2015, has found that over 60 percent of adults use some form of social media.

Although it is fun to socialize and network on social media, it has its drawbacks, more so, if you are pursuing a personal injury lawsuit. If you think this is a bit far-fetched, think again. Your social media posts can deny you the compensation you deserve for the personal injuries you have sustained. And the social media sites that pose the maximum risks are Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Ways social media may affect personal injury suit

If you are pursuing a personal injury lawsuit, your social media posts can impact your injury case in the following ways:

#1 Hurt your case

Although social media does well in bringing people together, you may inadvertently say something that puts the facts of the case in doubt, thereby working against your personal injury claims.

#2 Contradict testimony

You can jeopardize your personal injury case if you post something on the social media that contradicts what you are claiming in the case. For example, if you are claiming of a broken leg and you post that you are going on a trek, this completely contradicts your claim and provides evidence to the opposing party to falsify your claim.

#3 Checking into social media

In case you are claiming loss of mobility or limited mobility, and you check in to your social media account to participate in activities, it negates your claim of loss of mobility. For example, if you check in at your weekly gym workout classes, it can be used as evidence against your case.

#4 Indirectly showing physical ability

Your activity on social media can indicate what you are physically capable of after your injury. For example, if you post a picture of your family on a ski slope, even without you in the picture, it may well raise suspicion of your taking the picture. If the opposing party can prove it, your personal injury case may get compromised.

#5 Comments on the social media page

Your family and friends may post things on your social media page that works against your personal injury claims. Even discussions about compensation in your case or suggestions about how you can squeeze the opposing party for more money can work against your case and make the other party’s case stronger.

Are social media posts admissible in court?

Unfortunately, they are and can irretrievably damage your personal injury claims. To make matters worse, your social media posts can also be easily taken out of context, especially in a court of law. Defense lawyers and insurance adjusters are always on the lookout to take legal cognizance of your social media posts and use them against you in court. And they know the ways how to get access to even your private posts by requesting the social media site.

Accident and injury law in North Carolina has under its ambit injuries resulting from car accidents, medical malpractices, workers’ compensation, slips, and falls, etc. However, in this state, you will only get compensation if you can prove that you are not even partially at fault for the said injuries.

Your social media posts may make you vulnerable and allow your perpetrators to use them against your personal injury claims. By quoting what you have shared on your social media posts, the opposing party will try to prove to the court that you are partially at fault for the accident or injury, thereby urging the court to disallow any compensation.

Fighting personal injury case in North Carolina

If you fear that your personal injury case may get overturned in the North Carolina court due to your social media posts, you can take the advice of Lakota R Denton, a personal injury lawyer in North Carolina. He will not only thwart the attempts of the opposing party using your social media posts but will also give constructive advice on how to handle the social media, while you are pursuing your personal injury case. 

Conclusion

If you are seeking compensation for your personal injuries through the legal process, exercise extreme caution in using social media during this period. Best is not posting anything at all and limiting your online presence. This way you will prevent the opposing party from using your posts for their benefit.