Your profiles on Facebook, MySpace, and other social media websites can have a negative impact on your injury claim. Photos, status updates, and comments can defeat or devalue your injury claim if you do not use discretion when posting.
After an injury, the best advice is to avoid social media sites altogether. If you do not use your social media profile, it is less likely that you will provide any information to insurance adjusters that will be used against you. An insurance adjuster's job is to pay you as little as possible for your injury claim. You do not want to help the insurance adjuster and damage your claim through your own comments and postings on social media sites.
Consider the following example. If you injure your neck in a car accident, and, shortly afterwards, you post pictures on Facebook that show you riding a jet ski with the status update, "Great weekend spent on the jet ski," the insurance adjuster may find these postings and use them against you. The adjuster may argue that no injured person would be out riding a jet ski.
If you insist on using social media sites after your injury, here are a few rules to follow:
Check your Privacy Settings. Some social media sites, such as Facebook, will allow you to make your personal information and posts private. In Facebook this would mean that only community member on your friend lists will be able to view your status updates (You can go even further by creating friend lists with specific privacy policies applied to them). Be aware, however, that even the highest level of privacy settings may not prevent the insurance adjuster from obtaining posted photos and comments. The adjuster may seek information from your social media profiles during the discovery phase of the lawsuit. While this is still an open issue, some courts have allowed discovery of this information.
When uploading photos, be selective on which photos are appropriate. If possible, set up filters that only allow friends to see your photo albums. For Facebook users, make sure you set your options for tagged photos. You should select "Only Me" for people who can view your tagged photos.
Accept only friend requests from people you know. An insurance adjuster may send you a friend request in hopes of gaining access to your personal information.
Do not join groups with provocative names and/or discussions.
Keep your case private. Do not post any photos of your accident or give any information regarding your injury or your case.
Keep your case private. Do not post any photos of your accident or give any information regarding your injury or your case.
Remember, an insurance adjuster will be searching for incriminating details about your personal life and your injury claim. Ideally, you should not use social media sites during your case. This will ensure that you do not post anything that will harm your case.
