A Nova Scotia woman has filed suit against a dump truck driver and his employer after an alleged injury accident. According to the claim, in August 2011, a car the woman was driving collided with a dump truck when the truck entered her lane during the Halifax to Dartmouth rush hour, causing her undisclosed injuries.
The woman alleged that the truck accident not only impaired her ability to work but also compromised her social life, limiting her ability to participate in recreational activities, including her ability to use Facebook, a popular online social network. The court hearing her lawsuit asked her to produce records of her use of the social media website in order to support her claim. However, the defendants in the case called for more evidence, demanding access to pats of her Facebook account that were not visible to people who were not her friends.
A judge in Nova Scotia said that the prevalence of social media in today’s world meant that is was not a surprise that Facebook would be a part both of claims and of evidence in such actions. The judge ruled, however, that areas of the woman’s Facebook account not visible to the entire public would not have to be accessible to defense lawyers. Instead, she was required by the court to provide information regarding her use of the website in order to substantiate her claim.
The damages suffered by individuals in accidents may take many forms. If the woman is able to provide evidence that the injuries suffered as a result of the truck driver’s negligence has affected her ability to participate in day-to-day activities, she may be awarded substantial compensation by the court.
Source: CBC News, «Car accident claimant ordered to provide Facebook logs«, Blair Rhodes, January 30, 2014
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