When a person has been involved in an incident in which they feel they have been harmed, not only do they have a right to tell their story, but it can often be therapeutic. However, when one person's wrongdoing leads you to a personal injury suit, now is not the time for public discussion. Particularly when it comes to social media, it is very important for anyone filing a claim to keep all parts of their claim offline.

Misaligned Information

One of the greatest dangers of sharing information about a personal injury case on social media is the threat of providing inaccurate information. Social media is considered public domain, so anything you state publicly can be used against you in court. Take someone involved in a car accident, for example. 

Assume the other party hit the person from behind, but during a social media post, the victim admits that they had been breaking frequently and unnecessarily just before the collision. The insurance company representing the other party could use this proclamation as an admittance that the victim is also at-fault for the accident, which will drastically lower the value of their claim. 

A View Into Your Life

Again, social media is in the public domain. Even people who consider themselves to be relatively private online often overshare. Given that your profile can be easily accessed by others, never assume that the insurance company is not viewing your profile. 

For someone with a claim for an injury, pictures or posts depicting the victim engaging in activities not in line with the injuries they claim can hurt their case. Even if your profile is private, the insurance company can petition the court to get access, so remember that anyone can access everything you do online.

Confidentiality Requirements

It is also essential to remain quiet on social media because some personal injury suits have confidentiality requirements. Often, lawsuits involving a business, such as with a product liability claim, will require that the plaintiff remain silent about the details of the case, even after a settlement is reached.

Discussing any details that violate this agreement will open the victim up to litigation, which can be costly to defend. Depending on the terms of the confidentiality agreement, the victim could be forced to return most, if not all, of their settlement as a result.

For specific details about social media and your injury claim, be sure to speak with a personal injury attorney for assistance.