People often turn to social media to vent about their day, express their frustrations, or share pictures from a night out with friends. But if you’ve filed a personal injury claim, it’s best to avoid updating your social media profiles until the case has come to an end.

Why does it matter if you’re on social media? After you file a personal injury claim, the defendant’s insurance company (and eventually their attorneys, if the case goes into litigation) will begin to dig up as much evidence to use against you as possible. One of the first places they turn to is social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.

The adjusters and/or defense attorneys will look for any signs that your injury is not as serious as you have claimed. For example, if you are pursuing compensation for chronic back pain, uploading pictures of you rock climbing with your friend over the weekend is a bad idea. These photos will be printed and brought into court as evidence that you have not been honest about your injuries and are not deserving of compensation.

Defense adjusters and attorneys can also use social media to argue that you are not experiencing emotional distress as a result of your injuries. This can be proven by showing pictures of you out with your friends, or screenshots of conversations you’ve engaged in on social media. They may even track down your personal blog to analyze your posts and determine whether you are showing signs of deep emotional distress.

Some victims make the mistake of thinking they are completely protected because of their restrictive privacy settings. Even if your profile is private, it’s best to stay off of these sites until the case is over. Why? Adjusters and attorneys will often go to great lengths to gain access to your profile. Some may even create fake profiles and send you a friend request in order to see what you’re posting. Avoid falling into this trap by staying quiet on social media.

They may even try to find your immediate family members’ profiles to see if anyone else is posting information about you. It’s best to advise all of your family members to change their privacy settings and refrain from accepting any new friend requests until the case is over.

It may seem ridiculous to censor yourself on social media just because of your ongoing personal injury lawsuit, but it’s absolutely necessary.

If you have been injured and are considering filing a personal injury claim, seek legal advice from personal injury attorney Frank Harris. When you work with Frank Harris, he will stand by your side throughout every step of the process to ensure you receive the best legal representation possible. Reach out to Frank Harris via email at info@FrankHarrisLaw.com or submit your information using the online form on his website, www.FrankHarrisLaw.com. You can also speak to someone in our office by calling 678-483-8655 today.