If you are injured, naturally you would want to talk about the event with your family members and friends. Like most residents in Wisconsin and elsewhere, you might have Facebook and other social media accounts. It would only be natural to post about what happened on social media, right?
As you might suspect, it can be detrimental during a personal injury case to post too much about the accident on social media. As FindLaw explains, discussing the details of your case or oversharing online might violate confidentiality rules or give the opposing side ammunition to use against you.
What about posting other things on social media while refraining from mentioning your injuries? It might make sense to maintain a positive outlook during your personal injury ordeal. However, insurance investigators and others from the opposing party could use photographs or status updates you post against you. For example, you post a recent selfie of you and your friends enjoying yourselves at a party. While you can certainly attend a party while injured, it may be interpreted as you not being as hurt as you claim. Similarly, if you post too many cheerful status updates, the other side may attempt to use them to discredit your claims and say you are not suffering. It can also damage your case to rant about the other party involved in your accident or to be insulting.
You may protect yourself to some degree by keeping your social media accounts private; however, the opposing side may attempt to gain access to your accounts. During this time, it is wise to avoid posting on social media at all. The information in this blog should not replace the advice of a lawyer.
