For many of us, social media is the best way to stay in touch with our friends and family, especially if we need to let many or all of them know when something serious happens. Many people use this in the wake of natural disasters, for example, so they can keep in touch with those missing, displaced, or otherwise impacted.
However, social media can affect personal disasters, too. For example, you may have been injured in a work accident, and you’re due work comp benefits. Unfortunately, the insurance company may try to use your online posts about your injury to hurt your future.
If you’re concerned about protecting your compensation from being reduced or dismissed, you may need to avoid posting or sharing online after your accident.
Your Posts Can Be Used against You
Unfortunately, your social media account isn’t always useful for good things. If you’ve posted about your injury, the insurance company may use that against you. If you’ve claimed online your injuries were lighter than what you told your doctor, for example, you could lose part or all your benefits.
You could lose your benefits even if you don’t mention your worker’s comp agreement. The insurance company may try to claim you were in better health than you claimed to be.
For example, you may have posted pictures of yourself playing football or tending to your garden on a day you were suffering less pain. Your worker’s comp provider may see this as evidence that your injuries aren’t as severe as you originally claimed since you were doing well enough to get back to normal tasks and fun. That could hurt your chances for work comp benefits.
Addressing Social Media in Your Work Comp Hearing
When you’re accused of lying about your condition, and the other party brings up your social media posts in your hearing, it could hurt your chances of compensation. Without an Iowa workers comp lawyer, it can be tough to prepare for how your words will be used against you.
Your Iowa workers comp lawyer can help you deal with that. If you’ve been injured in a work accident, your attorney can help you gather evidence that defends your online statements or contradicts it with physical evidence.
Using Social Media for Your Work Comp Benefits
If you’ve been hurt in a work accident, your social media accounts may not be all bad. While it’s best not to post if you’re concerned about social media hurting your claim, your social media posts could help you prove that you were injured in a serious on-the-job accident.
For example, you may have let your family know or made a comment about your work injury on the day of the accident. That gives you evidence that you were hurt when you claimed you were. You may also have posted updates about your progress or lack of progress. When keeping an honest track of your injuries, these posts may help jog your memory and show a timeline of your injury progression.
If you’re concerned about the effect of your social media posts, talk to your lawyer about your options. They may review the content you’ve posted and helped you work with or around your statements.
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A Brief Guide to Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Insurance
Ways Social Media Can Ruin Your Personal Injury Case
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