Posts & Personal Injury: Keeping Silent On Social Media

After a truck accident, it is a very natural tendency to want to post on social media to let loved ones know you are all right, or to update them on injuries. Some even remember to set their posts to private, thinking it will protect them from anyone else finding their account. Unfortunately, simply setting your posts to private is not enough to keep them from being used against you if you file suit seeking damages. An experienced attorney knows that keeping silent after an accident case is usually your best bet.

Presentation Matters

An injured plaintiff seeking damages from a tractor-trailer company will have to deal with their insurer, which has a vested interest in minimizing the number of claims they pay out. As a result, they will often aggressively attack a plaintiff who makes any kind of misstep in presenting their case – and social media posts can often serve as that misstep. Insurers are looking for any kind of discrepancy upon which they can argue against paying off your claim.

These ‘discrepancies’ between your story and your real life are often found (or created) on social media posts. For example, if you write a post about a debilitating back injury, but then your next post is you doing yard work, an insurer is likely to pounce on this and call it evidence of deceit, even if you required the rest of the day after the yard work to recuperate. This type of case relies heavily on presentation, rather than the actual reality of your injuries.

Private & Deleted Media Fair Game

In addition to the fact that social media posts are easy to misconstrue, it is also very important to keep in mind that social media almost never shows the true reality of any given situation. When one posts to Facebook or Bluesky, they put their best face forward, trying to be the most beautiful or the wittiest or another superlative. This is practically asking for insurers to misconstrue.

It is in the best interests of defendants and their insurers to cast an injured plaintiff as a liar or at the very least, as someone who exaggerates. This means that they will try and search for any type of evidence to support that claim – even, in some cases, accessing private or deleted material from your account. It is always best to remain silent on social media until your case is sufficiently settled, because the posts you least expect to hurt you often will.

Contact A Tampa Truck Accident Attorney

Social media helps us communicate with friends in far-off places, but saying too much in our posts can come back to haunt us if we are not careful. A Tampa truck accident attorney from the Rinaldo Law Group can help advise you on how best to navigate these types of questions while your case is pending. Call our office today to schedule a consultation.