Being injured on the job is a very stressful experience, especially if you are unable to work or perform everyday activities. If you are in the middle of a workers' compensation claim, it is important to understand that there are a variety of factors that can impact your claim.
In the past, some companies would hire investigators to follow employees who claimed they were injured to gather evidence that can be used to deny a claim. Now that social media has become more prevalent in our everyday lives, this is often unnecessary. When you share information on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or another social media app, you should be aware that it can easily be accessed by your employer, the workers’ comp insurer or their counsel.
Be Cautious of What You Post When Filing Your Workers’ Comp Claim
Social media plays a significant part in your workers' compensation claim, as your employer may be looking at your posts or comments to see if you are being truthful about your injuries. If you are writing comments to your friends about a party you attended days after the alleged accident, the information could be used against you in court.
Here are a few tips you should consider on social media to protect your workers’ comp claim:
- Do not post photos or statuses about your accident, injuries, or your activities soon after the incident.
- Do not make public comments or posts about your activities, even to your friends.
- Be careful about geo-tagging your location when you make posts, especially if you claim to be sick at home.
- Do not accept friend requests from people you do not know
Although there may be ethical challenges about privacy and the use of social media in workers' compensation cases, it is always better to be safe than sorry. You would not want to find out that a simple post on Facebook or Twitter led to you not receiving the compensation you need to get better. Every move you make on social media is tracked in some way, which is why you should be very careful about what you write.
If you need help filing a claim, reach out to our Orange County workers' compensation attorneys at Humphrey & Associates. We offer a free consultation and accept no fees unless we win.