If you plan on filing a personal injury claim, it’s in your best interests to disable your social media accounts temporarily. Insurance adjusters have a number of strategies for finding reasons to devalue the claims they review, and monitoring online activity is one of them.
If you must remain active on social media for personal or professional reasons, you can at least avoid jeopardizing your case inadvertently by following these tips:
1. Update Your Privacy Settings
If any of your accounts are currently public, change their privacy settings so only approved friends or followers can see what you publish. Although the insurance adjuster may still be able to view certain posts through third-party connections, stricter privacy settings will pose an added hurdle by limiting access considerably.
2. Filter All Friend & Follower Requests
After you update your privacy settings, someone from the insurance company may attempt to friend you to facilitate their investigation. As such, you should not approve requests from anyone whom you don’t actually recognize.
3. Scrutinize Every Post Before Hitting “Publish”
Since there’s no way to be certain how the insurance adjuster might misinterpret—or misrepresent—what you post, it’s important to evaluate every photo, video, and status carefully before hitting “publish.” At the end of the day, even seemingly innocuous posts—like a photo of a dinner out with friends—could hurt your case.
In that vein, you should avoid publishing anything regarding:
- The accident;
- Your injuries or recovery;
- The direction in which you intend to take your case;
- Your social life; and
- Your expenditures.
4. Avoid “Checking In”
“Checking in” to virtually anywhere—from coffee shops to public parks—could cause the insurance adjuster to challenge your credibility. You should also ask your acquaintances to avoid tagging you in their own posts. If the insurer cannot access your profiles, they’ll be inclined to scrutinize the posts that your friends and loved ones publish.
How Else Can I Strengthen My Personal Injury Claim?
In addition to following the above tips, you can contribute to the strength of your claim by:
- Seeking prompt medical care;
- Following your doctor’s orders;
- Preserving all bills, invoices, and receipts that correspond to your economic damages;
- Keeping a personal injury journal in which you write about your non-economic damages;
- Refusing to accept or admit fault before your legal team conducts a thorough investigation;
- Refusing to give a statement before knowing the full extent of the damages; and
- Waiting to conclude negotiations until you’ve reached maximum medical improvement.
Discuss Your Case with a Personal Injury Attorney
At Lubell Rosen, we understand the physical, emotional, and financial toll that accidental injuries can take on the whole family. If you were seriously hurt through no fault of your own, our resourceful team will help you gather the evidence needed to prove liability and damages against all responsible parties.
Call (954) 880-9500 or fill out our Contact Form to schedule a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer in Coral Gables. We also represent clients in Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, and surrounding communities.
