Hiring a personal injury lawyer is the first thing you should do in the event of a negligence-related injury. The legal professional will do whatever is necessary to prove the responsibility of your wrongdoer, which means that you'll only need to wait for your compensation. However during your recovery, there are a few things that are part of your life, such as posting statements on social medias, that you should avoid doing because of their potential implications on the ongoing case. This article discusses why you should put your social media posting habits on hold.

The importance of social media

Over the past few years, social media has completely exploded as people are spending more time than ever on sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Indeed, in a 2012 article, Jeff Bullas revealed that 86% of the time 18-29 year-old people spend online is on social media sites. This statistic surged by 70 points compared to its 2005 level.

Although these sites were mainly developed to encourage networking activities between account holders, they became a place where people post their daily news. If you're one of them, then you should definitely refrain from logging in until your case has been settled.

Why should you avoid social media at all costs?

When you're involved in a legal dispute pertaining to personal injury law, the other party has one single objective in mind: to prove that your claim is baseless. This is true even if their responsibility was established fairly easily during the pre-trial process. The pre-trial process occurs when the defendant collects the evidence that they'll use in the event of a trial. It involves conducting medical examinations to assess the severity of the bodily damages inflicted.

The increasing use of social media in the insurance sector

Many insurance companies have social media experts among their full-time staff. These individuals are tasked to systematically track over the Internet all the victims who have filed benefits claims against their employers. There have been personal injury cases where hearings were held for hours because victims had to explain each statement they had posted on their social media accounts. Being in that situation can be very difficult since even your attorney won't be able to intervene.

As you might know, everything you post on your social media account can be seen by anyone who knows your name or any of your personal information, especially if you haven't set the proper visibility filters. This is why you'll hear your attorney tell you the online version of the popular law enforcement statement "everything you say will be held and used against you."

While recovering from your injury, the biggest mistake you might make is post statements related to the accident. This is because doing so will give the other party the opportunity to twist your statements to their advantage. Such statements can easily be captured, printed, and later presented during the court hearing. Examples of posts that might be used by the other party include statements revealing that:

• You're also responsible for the accident
• You lied in your deposition and you're only after the money

These types of statements will considerably weaken the evidence that your personal injury lawyer presents regardless of how compelling it is. With all the expenses that have been incurred, you can't afford to lose.

Most legal battles are won and/or lost over tiny details that could have been prevented. Since you already know about the other party's intentions, make sure you stay away from any activity that might negatively impact your case, and more importantly closely follow the advice that your legal representative gives you. This is how you'll maximize your chances of success.

If you're looking for a lawyer to represent your personal injury case, contact a firm such as Daniels Long & Pinsel.