As the years go by, the creation and development of different formats of social media has increased, making the entire world accessible with a simple click or post.  Many young adults enjoy updating their families, friends and the general public on their daily activities, most often their moments of happiness.  This public information may not be in our best interests, however, when we attempt to claim for accident insurance benefits.  In fact, it can negatively influence an insurance adjuster’s view of our claim, enabling it to be voided or minimized.

The experienced law team of Burn Tucker Lachaîne have represented many clients who have made claims for short and long-term disabilities.  Most cases are settled out of court but some are required to go to trial.

The importance of hiring an efficient, local and experienced personal injury lawyer like those at Burn Tucker Lachaîne cannot be overstated.  We can advise you on medical professionals who are needed for your recovery and who can provide critical input and testimony to support your claim.   Our main priority is to manage and represent your needs against insurance companies when you have been hurt or injured in an accident.  Insurance companies have fully-staffed legal departments and skillful adjustors whose main objective is to minimize payouts.

Although their yearly profits are important, insurance companies are also defrauded out of significant amounts of money annually.  Insurance companies use fraud to limit the payouts of benefits for everyone. Large insurance companies receive claims for benefits every day and these claims must be validated. Consider that every claim for benefits following a #link(motor-vehicle-car-accidents,,motor vehicle accident) is scrutinized before any benefits are allotted.

The first step to facilitating the success of your #link(disability-claims,,personal injury claim) is to be honest, and provide detailed and accurate information about your injuries. When an individual claims that they are unable to work because of an injury, the insurance company has the right to investigate whether or not this information is true.  They can do this in a number of ways, such as: assessments from their own doctors, re-evaluation of information from witnesses and more commonly now, by looking up personal updates on social media sites.

The most common method of investigating such claims is by hiring a private investigator, who is employed by the insurance company in an attempt to verify whether or not a person is truly injured or grossly exaggerating their current injuries.  Some people feel that this is an invasion of privacy but it is entirely lawful.  As long as you have been truthful about your injuries and the effect on your life, there is no cause for alarm.

Under some circumstances, investigators may observe claimants in public settings such as outside their home and at the supermarket.  Investigators can even more easily access an individual’s public social media activity on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and so on.  Sometimes, an individual’s postings may be damaging if they blatantly contradict their claims of injury.  In many cases, people post happy and active pictures of themselves to convey that their life is interesting and up-beat, even though this may not be true at the time.  In instances where someone is suffering from depression or chronic pain but has posted that they’re doing fabulous and recently ran a marathon, whether or not it is true, it will hurt their case.

We have seen this occur after someone experiences a minor car accident.  A person may post pictures of a fender bender or a damaged vehicle stating that they feel fine and were lucky to escape, unscathed from the accident.  While this may have been truthful at the time, in some cases an injury like whiplash can develop into something much worse in the days and weeks following the collision.  An insurance company may argue that your posts reflected an absence of injury, and if pain or injuries did develop, they were not the result of the reported accident.  Do not allow this to happen to you.

We, at Burn Tucker Lachaîne, stress the importance of seeking a medical attention after an accident if you are experiencing pain.  As much as you may want to share interesting moments in your life, be aware of how easily posting on social media can negatively impact your case.   Contact us at Burn Tucker Lachaîne law office to have your case assessed, as soon as possible after the accident. We will offer advice on the necessary steps and appropriate actions that will aid in a favourable settlement of your case.

It is advisable to stay off social media after an accident or at the very least, to increase your privacy settings to the strictest, most exclusive settings possible. However, remember that even the most private postings may be accessible to the public through tagging and other activities. It is in your best interests to do whatever you can to strengthen and help build a good case for your accident benefits.

Call #link(contact,,Burn Tucker Lachaîne) today for a free consultation.

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