Mostly everyone today is on some form of social media. It gives us the opportunity to connect with new people, and remain connected with friends and family, as well as create an environment where you can share life events with the people around you. So how can something designed to be beneficial and fun be detrimental to you legally?
1.) ATTORNEYS CAN USE YOUR PROFILE AGAINST YOU.
If you have been in a serious accident that caused you severe injuries, but you post pictures of yourself on social outings, smiling, or on vacation, a defense attorney can use these as evidence that the accident caused you less injury than you are saying or even no injuries at all. This of course is not true – as you can be injured, but still, smile and engage in many events. Unfortunately, evidence like this is used very frequently, and is extremely effective, especially in jury trials.
2.) GIVING OUT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR ACCIDENT CAN BE HARMFUL
It is the job of the defense attorney to develop their case, and it is your attorney’s job to develop your case. If you put information like case details, pictures, or anything else on your social media profile, the defense attorney will have access to that information, thereby doing their job for them. You should keep everything about your accident case between you and your attorney. The legal process is pretty good about ultimately giving relevant information to all parties, but this should be done through the legal processes that are available, and not through a social media profile.
3.) PRIVACY IS IMPORTANT!
Regardless of whether attorneys and personal investigators are scouring your social media profiles, privacy is a severely underrated commodity today. Your business is your business, and if you were injured, keeping those details to yourself can only be beneficial. For example, if you are injured, and after a year or two of medical treatment you are returned to your original health, you may seek out a new job. If an employer goes through your social media and discovers that you were severely injured just a couple of years back, they may be worried that hiring you will make those injuries worse, and may not consider you for employment.
Overall, social media is a fun way to connect to those around you. Always be conscious of the things you are posting, and how they may affect you in the future. As for accident cases, it is a good idea to put your social media posting on hold while you and your attorney navigate your case.
