Social Media and Personal Injury Claims
How Social Media Affects Personal Injury Claims
Social Media and Personal Injury Claims – As we all know, social media has become a vital tool in everyone’s life. They use it to share and show information on a day to day basis. With so many people utilising social media sites like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, the amount of information available online has exploded.
Even though our friends and family are the ones interacting with us on these platforms, most of us are unaware that it is being used for other purposes as well. For example, if you are involved in an accident and pursuing compensation, the insurers may also start taking an interest in the content that you post on an everyday basis.
Why Would Insurers Look At Social Media Profiles?
In short, insurers will scan your social media sites for anything that contradicts your accident, injuries, or injury severity.To get a report on your social media habits, insurers usually hire private investigators. They would gather any pertinent information, which they believe would invalidate someone who exaggerates their injuries. For example, a person claiming to need walking aids recently shared a photo of themselves leaping into a pool. This may cause extra issues if the other side disputes their claim.
Whilst the investigative reports of social media has been increasing in the UK; fortunately, Scotland has seen a fewer amount of fraudulent claims. You need to make sure to be careful with what you post on social media, as the content can significantly affect the claim you make. Even a throwback picture or video can land you in quite some trouble. The reports won’t harm you if you don’t use social media during your claim.
Use privacy settings
Another way you can unintentionally get your claim disregarded is by posting positive and uplifting content. A cheerful attitude on life is more widespread on social media than a negative one. However, this can lead to insurers thinking that the pursuer has recovered from their injuries.
This type of thing usually happens to business owners. They often post positive posts, even when they are suffering from an injury, because it is required of their business. It is unfortunate that there is a negative stigma attached to mental health. A client’s whole decision to do business with you is primarily dependent on positivity and uplifting content. So while you publish all that positive content for your business, the other party’s solicitor may be using it to make a case to deny your claim.
For some pursuers, this type of situation could lead to their psychological compensation being reduced. Here is how.
Issues With Psychological Injuries
While, on the one hand, physical injuries are quite visible in photographs and videos, psychological injuries are masked with a smile. This is what leads to them being often disregarded.
Social media users don’t often post about something that may be related to psychological injures. If they continue to post content that is perceived as positive, it can lead to problematic consequences. The third-party insurers can argue the context by saying that these posts refute the extent of the psychological injury.
What Should You Do?
Well, the best thing you can do is to remain truthful and honest for as long as the claim lasts. You should always be aware that social media content has a significant effect on the claim you are making, in which case caution is your best friend. Any content that you post is open to misinterpretation and has the ability to be used against you in a claim. So stay vigilant and avoid posting anything that could portray a deceptive impression of the true extent of your injuries.
If you want to make a criminal injury claim in Scotland, HD Claims is here for you. We will guide you through the process and help you in getting the maximum compensation for your injury. Just remember to be very cautious with the use of social media throughout the duration of your claim.
