How Social Media Posts Could Harm Your Spinal Cord Injury Claim

Recovering from a spinal cord injury (SCI) can be a long and arduous process. Depending on the severity and location of the injury, you may have limited mobility and end up spending much of your time in the hospital or at home.

Because of the physical limitations that SCIs pose, individuals who sustain them often turn to social media to stay in touch with friends. Digital correspondence can be especially helpful during the early stages of recovery, when the patient has not yet adjusted to life with an SCI and is experiencing considerable loneliness as a result.

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, there are roughly 17,000 new SCI cases every year. These injuries can vary immensely in severity, but they all have at least one feature in common: They are life changing.

If you sustained an SCI as the result of substandard medical care and want to hold the liable party financially accountable, turn to The Bowling Law Firm. David A. Bowling has more than three decades of trial experience and can handle the logistics of your case so you can focus on your health. Call (504) 586-5200 to schedule a consultation with a spinal cord injury attorney in New Orleans.

Why Should You Stay off Social Media When Recovering from a Spinal Cord Injury?

Connecting with others through social media after sustaining a catastrophic injury can be therapeutic in a lot of ways. Even if you do not physically spend time with friends or family, talking to them online can help keep loneliness, depression, and isolation at bay.

If you have a pending personal injury claim against the party liable for the SCI, though, you should avoid making any public posts about the case. This includes posts discussing the incident in question, detailing your recovery, explaining your prognosis, or documenting any progress.

Loved ones might want to hear about such topics, but it is not wise to discuss them in a public forum. Insurance adjusters are skilled negotiators, and there is no way to predict how they might spin any photos or statuses you post in order to invalidate your claim.

If you want to share your journey with friends and family, stick to more private means of communication, like video chatting, texting, and emailing. In fact, since the insurance adjuster may even use posts that are seemingly off topic against you, you may want to consider staying off social media in general until the case is resolved.

Since SCIs are incredibly costly to treat and manage, the settlements in cases involving such injuries are often substantial. Because so much is at stake, you should avoid doing anything that might jeopardize your claim, like posting a photo on Facebook that leads the adjuster to question the true extent of the damages.

If you sustained an SCI during a botched medical procedure, contact The Bowling Law Firm today. A compassionate attorney will help you avoid making critical mistakes that would harm your claim.

Call (504) 586-5200 to schedule a case evaluation with a spinal cord injury lawyer in New Orleans. You can learn more about personal injury claims in Louisiana by visiting the USAttorneys website.