In the wake of suffering serious health complications at the hands of a negligent healthcare provider, you might be tempted to take to social media to vent your frustrations, reach out for support, and ask for guidance. However, while you may get much-needed comfort, the benefits of tapping into your online circles will probably be short-lived.

Ultimately, your posts—whether it’s comments you’ve left, pictures you’ve published, or “check-ins” you’ve broadcasted—could all become ammunition to deny your claim. The insurance company will likely monitor your social media profiles for any posts that could be used as evidence to challenge your credibility.

As such, it’s often wise to disable your social media profiles until proceedings have concluded. However, if this isn’t possible for you, here are a few tips that could help protect your claim in the weeks ahead:

1. Ramp Up Your Privacy Settings

Taking time to tweak your privacy settings so that only approved friends or followers can see what you post could keep you safe online. While opposing parties might still be able to see some of your posts or pictures via third-party connections, the strictest possible privacy settings will prevent them from accessing most of your content.

However, as you could still be ordered to hand over any posts you made after the wreck during litigation or trial, you should still abstain from posting about the wreck, your treatments, injuries, expenses, social activities, and any other topics that might result in disputes.

2. Screen All New Friend Requests

Once you’ve updated your privacy settings, you will now have to manually approve new connection requests. As such, if you get an invitation from someone you don’t recognize it’s best to either deny or ignore these notifications until your case has been resolved. Approving such requests could give an opposing party open access to your content, handing over a potential treasure trove of evidence to the defense.

3. Skip the “Check-Ins”

While “checking in” might help keep your friends and family in the loop when it comes to your activities, this trail of evidence will make it easy for opposing parties to keep track of your social activities. For instance, if you’re planning to seek compensation for loss of enjoyment in life, but your “check-ins” show you jumping from one social gathering to the next, these digital footprints could be used to deny you compensation for non-economic damages.

4. Remind Family and Friends of Your Pending Claim

Even if your profile is set to “private”, the insurer might still be able to keep tabs on your activities by monitoring your loved ones’ social media accounts. As such, you should ask those close to you to abstain from tagging you in any of their content. Additionally, sites such as Facebook give you the option to verify any new “tags” before they are posted, so you should make sure to select this setting for an added layer of protection.

Discuss Your Case with a Miami Medical Malpractice Attorney

If you suffered because of the negligent or reckless actions of a healthcare provider, turn to the legal team at Viñas & DeLuca, PLLC, for reliable guidance, round-the-clock support, and tailored representation. Our Miami medical malpractice attorneys can help you navigate proceedings, providing advice on the steps you might need to take to protect your claim and avoid disputes. Dial (305) 372-3650 or jump to our contact page HERE to request a free case evaluation today.