A plaintiff’s social media profile can reveal information that can be used against his or her personal injury case. As a result, some plaintiffs choose to stop using social media for the meantime on the advice of an injury lawyer Reno, while other plaintiffs choose to be more circumspect in order to win compensation whether they have been hurt by leading causes of serious injuries or something else.
Often, the other side will use the latest information found on social media to discredit a case. For example, if a plaintiff states that his or her physical injuries are keeping him or her from following a normal routine, photos of the plaintiff engaging in strenuous physical activities can be used to cast that into doubt. Similarly, if a plaintiff states that the traumatic event has had a negative impact on his or her social life, photos of the plaintiff participating in festivals, parties, and other social events can do the same. This might not be fair because people prefer to be positive on their social media profiles, but it is a serious enough problem that more and more plaintiffs are choosing to stop posting on social media for the duration of their cases. Furthermore, plaintiffs are going as far as to ask their friends and family members to be careful about what they post on their social media profiles, which can be mined for information as well.
Sometimes, even past posts can be used to discredit a case. For example, if a plaintiff states that he or she has started suffering from chronic headaches because of the traumatic event, past posts complaining about headaches and migraines can be used to argue that the plaintiff was already suffering from such problems beforehand. As a result, plaintiffs are choosing to tighten the privacy settings on their social media profiles so as to restrict the people who can see their posts, which is necessary because it can be challenging to figure out all of the ways that information can be used against them.
For plaintiffs, the best way to protect themselves from the information found on their social media profiles might be remaining consistent with what they have said about their personal injuries. However, this is not as simple as it sounds because even small, innocent discrepancies can be used against them, meaning that they should contact an injury lawyer Reno for assistance in preparing them for their personal injury cases.
