The posting of statements or photographs on a social media network could affect the outcome of an ongoing personal injury case. Insurance companies hire adjusters, and other people who devote the bulk of their time to reviewing the posted material on each of the various social media networks.
What sorts of materials do those special adjusters’ study most closely?
• Any posted statement that contains personal information
• Any photograph that displays the movements of someone that has filed a personal injury claim
• Any negative comment about the defendant
• Any mention of a lawyer’s strategy
What materials would provide the adjusters with the “full” story?
A detailed statement, one that contains plans for testing the ability of a certain body part, one that has been recovering from an injury. Some recovering victims make such plans, before trying to carry out a specific movement, or prior to attempting performance of a certain activity.
Any reference to a time when plans that resemble the type mentioned above might have been shared with the treating physician
Any details, regarding what activities the doctor has cautioned the patient/victim against performing; any details on what activities the patient/victim has been allowed to pursue
Some of the information that could be found in such detailed statements might also be found in the patient’s medical records, if he or she has taken the time to speak with the treating doctor. That is why injury lawyers in Burlington encourage their clients to gain feedback from their doctor, with respect to any plans for testing the functionality of a body part, in order to see how well it has recovered from an accident-linked injury.
Insurance companies do not want to learn the “full” story.
If a social media post were to provide only a portion of the facts, the insurance company would be more than happy to suggest ways for thinking up suggested information, which could aid creation of a full story.
Lawyers are aware of that fact, and, thus, caution their clients against posting anything on a social media network.
Ideally, the removal of a post that contained unclear or suggestive information could be removed before it had done too much damage. Still, there is no guarantee that such would be the case. That is why anyone with an ongoing personal injury claim should refrain from posting any statements or photographs.
Accident victims that have hired an attorney should rely on that same attorney to help with providing the insurance company with the “full” story, whenever some issue has given rise to a question. That could be at any stage of the investigation, from the earliest diagnosis to the time when the treating physician has written about the extent of the patient’s recovery.
