Georgia Injury Lawyers Blog
Social media has grown to become almost a national pastime. Millions of people use these apps on a daily basis to let others know what is going on in their lives. Although this is usually a positive thing, it can actually be harmful to a plaintiff’s personal injury claim. This is definitely a topic you will want to review with your own Georgia personal injury lawyer.
In part one of this blog, we discussed how a single social media post could ruin or decrease the value of your personal injury case. Now let’s examine why you are not in control of who sees your posts.
What about Privacy Settings?
When instructed to stay off social media during an active personal injury claim, most people think they are immune to any harm as long as they are careful. Unfortunately, many plaintiffs have learned the hard way how impactful these postings can be after not taking the advice of their Georgia personal injury attorney.
You may have your social media accounts set up so that they are extremely private and only viewable to people of your choosing. While this is ideal for many different purposes, it still does not guarantee that what you post won’t be used against you. Here are some ways the defense could get ahold of your social media material:
- Hiring private investigators who do what they can to find your information online, including friending or following your own friends to assist them in accessing your posts
- Using the discovery process to get your social media usernames and passwords or to obtain physical copies of what you have posted
Privacy settings do little to protect a plaintiff in a personal injury case and should not be relied upon.
Even Careful Use is Risky
Many plaintiffs mistakenly believe that if they delete any potentially suspicious posts or pictures and are selective about what they post in the future that they can get by with continued use of social media. It simply is not worth the risk if you want to receive fair compensation for your injuries. Your Georgia personal injury lawyer will likely advise you to stay off all social media platforms entirely until your case is settled or has a jury verdict. They may even recommend deleting or suspending your accounts. If you absolutely cannot give up social media, limit your use to use to liking other people’s posts and sharing news articles.
Call a Seasoned Georgia Personal Injury Lawyer
At Slappey & Sadd, LLC, we take pride in offering all of our clients’ professional representation with the goal of obtaining a fair settlement or verdict on their behalf. We have already won millions of dollars for personal injury clients just like you all over the state of Georgia. Our firm is based in Atlanta, but we also serve clients in Fulton County, DeKalb County, Cobb County, Gwinnett County, Muscogee County, Newton County, Troup County, Walker County, Walton County, and Whitfield County.
You don’t pay any fees unless we win your case. Receive a free case review with a Georgia personal injury lawyer today by calling 404.255.6677 or use our online contact form. For your safety and convenience, we can provide case reviews over the phone or through video conferencing.