There’s a lot that goes into a personal injury case. If you’ve read through these blogs at all, you’ve seen all of the different ways that we can help your case. We get top investigators on your case immediately, so that they can find out the truth. Then, we use that to build you the most compelling case possible. From there, we negotiate with the other side to get you the compensation you deserve. Either you get it, or the case goes to trial. Regardless, we don’t get paid until you do. In this blog, we’ll touch on some lesser known ways an injury attorney in Los Angeles can help your case, and how you can help your own case, too.
We don’t have to tell you that social media is everywhere. You possibly found this article through one social media platform or another. When you’ve been injured in a case, it’s important that you’re smart about your social media use. It may not seem like a big thing, but it can be used against you. We don’t mean in a legal sense or anything like that. Rather, we mean that the insurance company and their attorneys can use your social media against you so as to keep you from getting all of the compensation that you deserve.
To be clear, the insurance companies and their attorneys are looking for any possible way to keep you from getting all of the compensation that you deserve. They’ll use any tactic, any opening, any possibility to make that happen. One of the easiest and most direct ways for them to do so is through your social media. You may think: “my social media feeds are fine. I don’t say anything objectionable on there, I don’t have any enemies. All I ever do is post pictures of meals or my pets on there.” Right. It’s exactly through those kinds of posts that insurance companies and their attorneys are able to weaken your case.
Let’s say that you’ve been injured in a car accident. Your shoulder was severely wounded. The other driver was clearly at fault, the accident wasn’t your fault at all. So, you have a lot of compensation coming. Your recovery process takes a long time. Maybe you aren’t able to go back to work for some time. With no work to go to, and your loved ones leaving the home during the day, you’re liable to get quite bored and maybe even a bit lonely. This, of course, makes those moments when you can hang out with the people you care about so much more important. After a few weeks, you’re finally feeling better. Some of your friends are headed out to a sports bar tonight to watch the big game. Even if you aren’t 100%, you’re going to take advantage of this opportunity.
It’s a great game, and more importantly, a great time. You haven’t had this much fun in… well, you can’t remember how long. Maybe you have a couple drinks. Nothing untoward, you’re just in the flow of things. Your team wins the game and you toast their success at the end. After getting a ride home, you curl into bed, feeling great about the night and the days ahead. You don’t really think about this night as your case moves forward.
Then, when the time comes to negotiate for your case, it’s your time to shine. You point out how injured your shoulder was through the accident. Between the doctor’s statements, your medical records, documentation you took at the accident site and more, it’s clear that your shoulder was significantly wounded. Everything looks great for your case. Then… the insurance company’s attorney pulls up a photo on their phone.
It’s you, at the game with your friends. You’re toasting your team’s victory holding a large beer stein. One of those heavy ones, it’s like something out of Oktoberfest. It’s mostly full, and you’re holding it high over your head with your bad shoulder. You don’t remember this. After all, you’d had a couple drinks and your team just won the game. You didn’t take this picture. Moreover, you certainly didn’t post it to social media.
However, this picture absolutely looks bad. It looks like you were lying about your injuries. “If the injured party’s shoulder was as hurt as they say,” you can hear the other side’s attorney practically sneering, “then how could they lift that beer stein? It doesn’t look like something that’s light. Indeed, it looks quite difficult to lift.” You can explain over and over the circumstances: that you hadn’t been out in months, that your shoulder was recovering, that the beer doesn’t look as heavy as it seems, and so forth. That can all be true. But in just one social media post (that you didn’t even post) your entire case can be that much more difficult.
To be clear, this is by no means a “killing blow” for your case. This kind of thing will not stop you from getting the compensation that you deserve. Indeed, we can still help you to get all of the compensation you deserve even after something like this. That being said, why make it more difficult on yourself? There’s no reason to have to go through something like this. When you’ve been injured in an accident, it’s critical to get as much compensation as you deserve for your case. There are people in your life who depend upon you. They’re counting on you to get all of the money possible so that you can take care of them. You don’t want to potentially jeopardize any part of that, even a little bit.
So, to make it easier on yourself, we recommend significantly cutting your social media posting during your case. You can curtail it, or even stop it. If you do post something, do everything you can to make sure that it doesn’t have any kind of information that can be used against you. You certainly don’t want to post about the case itself, by any means. Many of our clients entirely disable their social media feeds. You can do what you feel is best, but you don’t want to put yourself in the position of having to defend a social media post like that.
It’s important to keep this in mind with not just photos, but with comments and posts, too. There have been stories of injured people who had their social media comments, not just pictures or posts, used against them. Something as innocuous as “hey, want to go for a run on Sunday” can be twisted into something malignant. After all, if you’re in so much pain that you can’t go to work (and indeed, need to receive compensation for your lost wages) are you really able to go for a run on Sunday? Perhaps you meant the comment in jest, but it could be bent out of shape until it’s used against you.
Social media recommendations are just a few of the recommendations we make for our clients. We know that when you’re injured, it can feel like the entire world has fallen off of its axis. Nothing seems the same; it can feel like everything changed in a very short period of time. The transition is not an easy one. That makes it all the more important to get with a law firm that you can trust. At every step of the way, from the moment you come in to talk to us through the moment that we confirm the compensation that you deserve, we’ll be there for you. Just give us a call at (818) 240-1800 or head to our site for a free consultation.