Social media has become an integral part of most people’s lives. Numerous individuals share every detail of their lives on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. After a significant injury, it feels tempting to post all the details to your followers.
In recent years, social media has come up in numerous personal injury claims. Although the digital world seems separate from the physical one, your statuses and photos can come back to haunt you if you are not careful.
Do not post updates about your health
The main reason people post on social media following an injury is that they want their friends and family to know that they are okay. You may not want anyone to worry, but if your insurance company sees that you posted, “I feel great,” then it can use that as evidence to try to get out of paying you as much. You should contact loved ones privately to let them know what happened and how you feel. You do not want any information to become public knowledge at this point.
Do not accept any new friend requests from strangers
In general, it is a good idea to never accept friend requests from strangers, no matter what. However, in the aftermath of an injury, you need to be particularly vigilant. A request could be an insurance adjuster trying to gain access to your posts. After an injury, you need to set your posts on the highest security level possible and not accept any new friends.
Do not post any pictures
You should avoid statuses related to your health, but you also need to be careful about the pictures you share. You could have said you suffered a serious injury, but a week after the accident, you post a picture of you jet skiing. Your insurance company could use that single photo as evidence that you feel fine and try to deny you damages.