“Am I Being Watched?”: Surveillance During Florida Personal Injury Cases

If you’ve just filed a personal injury lawsuit following an accident, be prepared for good news and bad news. The good is that you can place yourself a step closer to receiving compensation from the injuring party’s insurance company.

However, the bad news is that the opposing party’s insurance company has been put on notice. As a result, the company will exhaust every option to discredit you. One of the ways insurance companies have done this is through surveillance — a possibility which you’ve now been opened up to, unfortunately. With this in mind, you might experience some uneasiness — you may even consider throwing in the towel on your personal injury compensation claim.

We are here to tell you to continue pursuing your claim with us in your corner. We’ll walk you through everything you need to know about being under surveillance.

Is it Legal for Insurance Companies to Watch Me?

When you feel like you’re being watched after filing a claim, it’s natural to ask certain questions. The most common one we hear is whether or not putting someone under surveillance is legal — the answer to this question is yes and no.

Surveillance is legal insofar as it is within the rights of an insurance company. In other words, the insurance company has a right to investigate the veracity of a claim. Besides document review and a word from your attorney, the insurance company can use other forms of evidence. Surveillance gives the insurance company evidence that helps with investigations on their end.

The insurance company can hire someone to collect evidence about your injuries in the form of video and pictures. Insurance companies can also get information about your day-to-day life from your neighbors and friends. All of this is legal and within the rights of the insurance company from whom you have claimed compensation.

Here is where the line cannot be crossed, however. Insurance companies are free to put you on surveillance in public places. If the company observes you while you are inside your home, a restroom, a private office, or a gym locker room, they are violating your right to privacy, which is illegal. They also cannot legally take audio recordings of you unless you consent to it.

Why Would an Insurance Company Put Me Under Surveillance?

Insurance companies offer their beneficiaries coverage for a myriad of contingencies — one of them being when the beneficiary has been charged with injuring someone. The beneficiaries benefit from not having to pay out of their pockets for the injuries caused by the accident. While this is great for the other person, it costs an insurance company money. As a result, the insurance company will be looking for ways to save money on coverage.

We’re telling you this because insurance companies may put you under surveillance in an attempt to save money. More specifically, insurance companies will watch you for any sign that your injuries are either falsified or do not affect you as much as you’ve claimed they do.

Insurance companies put claimants under surveillance to find a justifiable reason to pay below the claimed amount. If the company sees that your injury is not as severe as you made it out to be, they can lower their compensation. In the worst-case scenario, they will not pay at all.

As a result, the company saves money, and you do not receive compensation for your injuries.

What Can I Do if I Feel Like I’m Being Watched?

If you suspect that you’re under surveillance, do these two things:

First, go about your daily existence as though you are not being watched. After all, your injury is severe enough for you to file a sizable personal injury compensation claim. Your personal injury claim is legitimate and carries gravitas in court as long as you live within the limitations brought by the accident’s injury.

This brings us to the second thing you need to do. It is crucial to act within the limitations of your injury. For this reason, you need to seek medical advice as early as possible. Medical counsel can guide you as regards what you can and cannot do. If you act within the limitations placed by your physician, you will have nothing to hide.

By living in accordance with the physical limitations resulting from your injury, the insurance company will not catch you off guard. They will have no choice but to give you fair compensation once surveillance reveals how your injuries limit your activities.

Can a Personal Injury Attorney Help?

As mentioned earlier, it is within the insurance company’s rights to put you under surveillance to confirm the veracity of your claim. However, there are clear boundaries regarding how far surveillance can go. If the insurance company crosses a line, your personal injury attorney will be helpful.

A personal injury attorney can give you guidance on what to do and how to handle situations when you are being watched. Most importantly, your personal injury attorney can protect your rights throughout the claim proceedings. One of the rights your attorney will protect is your right to privacy — any evidence that proves that the insurance company violated your right to privacy will be ammunition that your attorney can use against the company.

Relax — An Experienced Personal Injury Attorney Can Help

If you feel that you’re under surveillance, keep calm, act in accordance to your limitations, and reach out. We can help you throughout your personal injury compensation case.

Call us now for expert legal counsel and representation that gets you results, reassurance, and peace of mind.