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(314) 500-HURTSocial media, like it or not, is a big part of our society these days. Millions of users spend hours a day on a
seemingly endless list of social media platforms. We are often warned of some of the common risks associated with
using social media, but did you realize that your social media activity can even have an impact on your personal
injury case?
Now that you’ve been hurt in an accident and have a pending personal injury case, it’s important that you are aware
of how to behave – and how not to behave – on social media throughout your pending civil lawsuit for a personal
injury. A responsible and astute St. Louis personal injury lawyer will inform you on how your
social media activity can affect your case. Burger Law lawyers are well aware of how a
plaintiff’s social media presence can make or break a personal injury claim, and we’re here to help our clients do
it right. For the best representation in St. Louis for your personal injury case, call 314-542-2222 or send us a message now.
It doesn’t look very good if you insist that the injuries you sustained in a car accident have left you permanently
disabled and ruined your life while you are posting frequent photos of you going out with friends, doing activities
that would require a reasonably able body.
It’s important that you aren’t exaggerating your injuries or the damages you’ve suffered as a result of an injury.
But to win your personal injury settlement, we do have to give an accurate picture of how the accident has and will
affect your life. While social media posts alone won’t win your case (you typically need to show other evidence,
like medical treatment records), it can go along way in harming your claim if you’re not careful.
Insurance companies and defense attorneys will scrutinize your social media activity as a plaintiff bringing a
personal injury case against their client. Even if you think you’re being careful and are always truthful, they can
often find ways to use social media posts to:
The defense will use your statements on social media regarding the events of the accident to question and
contradict the report you gave to the police or the testimony you give in court. If you make a post about
the accident saying “thank goodness I looked up just in time,” they could use that to imply that you were
texting or driving distracted and attempt to put the fault on you.
In a personal injury case, you should neither overstate nor understate the effect your injuries have had on
you. However, it’s our job to be thorough in explaining how the accident has affected and continues to
affect your life. There are often lasting damages such as PTSD or partial disability or loss of use of a
body part. If you claim to have trouble walking but post images of you on a walk with your dog the next day,
the defense will use that as an argument to claim that your injuries have not affected your life.
You never know – and can’t control – what other people will say or do on social media. As with the above
example, if you don’t post anything, but your friend posts a bunch of pictures of you having fun and
doing activities you claim you can’t do, that is going to be a challenge in your case.
A settlement in a personal injury case is meant to make you whole after the accident leaves you with
hardship. So if you post on social media that you “can’t wait to sue those jerks so I can buy a new hot
tub,” the defense will surely call into question whether you really need that money to recover and enjoy
your life as normal. Once you settle your case, the money is yours to do with whatever you want, but
unfortunately, this will still be used against you.
What you need to know regarding how social media impacts your personal injury case is that the insurance company and
defense attorney will look for and use anything they can to question the legitimacy of your claim. If you have been
injured due to another person’s negligence, you entirely deserve to be made whole with compensation for the damages
you’ve suffered. But insurance companies work hard to try to avoid paying victims, and social media is one way your
case can be negatively affected.
Listen to your lawyer for advice on what to do to help your case and how to avoid harming your chances of a
satisfactory settlement. You should hire an accomplished St. Louis personal injury lawyer who will
know what to do to avoid the negative effects of social media on your case. Burger Law has
put together many free resources for personal injury claimants, such as this free book on what not to do in
a car accident case.
Burger Law understands how social media can affect your personal injury case, and we know what to do to help you
avoid negatively affecting your personal injury case. Contact us today to discuss your case with a personal injury
lawyer for free. Reach us by calling 314-542-2222 or sending us a message.
Founder | Injury Attorney
Gary Burger has dedicated his career to standing up against bullies. The founder and principal attorney of Burger Law | St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyer has helped hundreds of Missouri and Illinois individuals and families recover th …
Years of experience: 30 years
Location: St. Louis, MO
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