Law

Why It’s Better to Stay Away from Social Media While Your Personal Injury Case is Ongoing in Ontario

These days, social media has become a big part of people’s lives. As a result, people can share anything that occurs on social media, no matter how minor or serious it is. If you are like most people, you probably share life events with your family or friends through photos, posts, or videos. However, if you suffered an injury because of another person’s negligence and you have an acting personal injury claim, sharing information on social media can result in challenges in your case. A personal injury attorney in Ontario will advise against posting on social media as you might end up giving the insurance company a reason to devalue or deny your claim. 

How Social Media Can Affect Your Claim

Even if you have legitimate injuries and pain, your posts on social media contradict your health condition and possibly undermine your injury claim. For instance, you might end up posting something about being on a vacation, going to work, or going to the gym. You could be denial about the seriousness of your injury and discuss this on social media. Insurers use any evidence available to downplay your injury and claim you don’t deserve compensation. Sometimes, they may accuse you of fraud. 

Courts allow posts on social media to be utilized as evidence. Thus, insurance companies can use any posts you make on social media against you. When you pursue a personal injury claim, you must provide evidence to support your claim. This evidence includes medical records, witness statements, expert testimonies, and testimonies from friends or family members stating how your injury has impacted your life. Insurance providers will present potential evidence to devalue or deny your claim. 

Tips to Keep in Mind

To ensure your social media will not impact your injury claim, adjust your privacy settings. This includes changing your profile private, adjusting who can view your posts, reviewing existing posts or poses you are tagged in, deciding on how can see your friends list and more. 

In addition, you should not post anything about your accident on social media. Also, tell your family and friends that they can’t also post about this accident or injury. Stay away from social media until your claim has been resolved. Do not accept new friend requests while your case is ongoing. Somebody from the opposing party may try to obtain information or keep you on the watch for potential discrepancies. While it may be difficulty, do not post any of your frustration about the case.