Ontario victims of personal injury in auto crashes are advised to think twice before hitting the “post” button, sharing, liking, accepting friend requests and being tagged on social media. Most people’s lives have become public on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms. However, personal injury claims after car accidents can be derailed by a single social media post.
Examples include a woman in another province who claimed a substantial amount of money in damages for suffering emotional trauma after two auto accidents. Her claim was rejected by the judge who saw images of her partying with friends, contradicting her claim of social isolation and depression. In another case, a plaintiff’s claim for recovery of damages after suffering back, shoulder and neck injuries along with concentration and memory loss was dismissed when social media showed her enjoying St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
For these reasons, injured victims are advised to avoid sharing any information related to the lawsuit. Posting videos or photos on social media can jeopardize a civil claim, and being tagged by friends on their photo’s can also be used as evidence to disprove their claims. It may also be wise to ignore strangers’ friend requests and avoid liking or commenting on the posts of others.
For victims of car accidents in Ontario, it may be smart to share the details of their claims with an experienced personal injury lawyer rather than with the world on social media. A lawyer can help them to establish negligence by other parties and also with the presentation of their claims in the civil court. This may lead to the recovery of financial and emotional damages that were brought about by the crashes.
