How Social Media Can Affect a Car Accident Claim
As technology evolves, so too must the ways in which we handle car accident claims. Social media is now an unavoidable part of daily life, serving as a news source, way to socialize, and opportunity to share your experiences with others. It’s important to recognize, though, that what you post on platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram can have a very real impact on your life. If you are injured in a Southern California car accident and you decide to fight for compensation, social media could sway the outcome of your case in a variety of ways. Having the right personal injury legal team by your side can help you navigate the complexities of a car accident claim—and that’s why Pisegna & Zimmerman is committed to helping victims like you. We make the injury claim process as painless as possible with Zoom meetings and DocuSign, allowing you to handle your case from home. Call us at 818-888-8888 to set up a consultation.
Not only can social media affect your car accident claim, it can actually cause accidents. Research indicates that using social media while driving can be three times more dangerous than drunk driving. Each check of the phone takes a driver’s eyes off the road for 4.6 seconds, and a driver’s reaction time is 38% slower when they are using a smartphone. The draw of social media is too much for some to resist, and until that is addressed, accidents will continue to increase.
Social Media as Evidence in an Accident Claim
Legal professionals can uncover an astounding amount of information using social media. Social media can help your personal injury attorney create an accurate timeline of events. A driver’s posts, photos, and check-ins all establish where you were before, during, and after an accident. In some cases, social media can even capture an accident. Viral videos have shown drivers live-streaming and crashing as a result.
Social media is also useful for documenting a victim’s injuries. If a victim is a regular social media user, they may post updates on their healing process, treatments, and limitations. On the flip side, social media can also show when an injury isn’t quite as severe as reported. If a victim posts updates on their marathon training while claiming that their injury is so severe they can’t get up, an attorney will absolutely use that.
In some cases, social media can help prove liability or causation. An involved party may accidentally let it slip that they only looked away from the road for one second or that they turned without checking oncoming traffic. It doesn’t matter if these posts are eventually deleted or edited. The Internet is forever, and you can rely on a personal injury lawyer to track down the evidence needed to help their client.
How Social Media Evidence Can Hurt or Help Your Case
If you’re seeking compensation from a negligent driver, social media could affect your case in positive and negative ways. On the positive side, your posts could corroborate your official statements by proving the timeline of events or the extent of your injuries. If you use your social media like a daily journal or way of updating loved ones, it can also accurately track your injury progress.
The downsides are far more significant in most cases. If there are any contradictory statements, no matter how minor, you can expect the other party’s legal team to find them and capitalize on them. It’s also possible for your statements to be taken out of context and used as an admission of fault. Finally, anything indicating that your lifestyle is not in line with your reported injuries could cause your entire claim to fall apart. This is true even if the posts are misinterpreted or misunderstood.
Using Social Media Appropriately to Protect Your Case
Ideally, you’ll discuss your social media usage with your attorney before posting anything about your accident. You may even choose to avoid posting entirely until your claim is complete. This protects you from unintentionally posting something that could be used against you. This is also a good time to double-check your privacy settings and ensure that insurance adjusters and attorneys can’t go digging through your past posts for information.
Fight for the Compensation You’re Owed With Pisegna & Zimmerman
Take control of your accident claim and reach out to Pisegna & Zimmerman today. We strive to make life as easy as possible for our clients by meeting via Zoom and handling documents over DocuSign. Set up a time to talk now by calling us at 818-888-8888 or connecting with us online.
William Zimmerman is an experienced Los Angeles work injury attorney at Pisegna & Zimmerman. He offers invaluable advice and assistance when dealing with the often complicated workers’ compensation system. As part of Pisgena & Zimmerman, he and his team are a full-service law firm that is dedicated to obtaining the maximum amount of compensation from all available sources.