Following an automobile accident, posting about the incident on your social media accounts, like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or other online forums, can be tempting. In truth, sharing this type of content can affect your legal claim and the amount of money you receive in the long run. To ensure your legal rights are protected after a car crash, it is crucial to understand social media do’s and don’ts. Your actions can impact your legal case, particularly as the other party looks for ways to use your social media content to discredit you.
Social Media DO’S After a Car Accident
Although there are many don’ts for your social media accounts after a car crash, there are also some do’s that you should keep in mind. For instance:- Do set your social media accounts to private. If your account is public, it’s harder to limit the information shared via your account. Ensure that your settings restrict tagging in posts and pictures that can hurt your case.
- Do ask your family and friends to avoid posting anything about your accident or injuries or tag you in any posts. Insurance companies are always looking for any evidence to use against an injured party after a collision. They can use pictures to spin a narrative that you are not suffering from the injuries you claim to have.
- Do reach out to a car accident attorney as soon as possible. They can advise you on your social media activity, recommending which types of posts are ok, and which ones you should avoid.
Social Media DON’TS After a Car Accident
If you have filed or planning on filing an injury claim following a motor vehicle collision, make sure that you don’t leave any doors open for the other side to negate your claim or find evidence that can be used against you. For these reasons, you should avoid making the following social media mistakes:- Don’t talk about the accident or share details about your injuries or damage to your car. By posting information about the incident or your injuries on your social media accounts, the defense can attempt to discredit your claim. They can try to show that your pain and suffering are not as extensive as you indicate.
- Don’t post pictures or videos of the accident. Anything you post on your social media can be used to harm your case. The other side will often try to use the pictures posted of the accident to misconstrue what occurred. For instance, if you took a picture of your vehicle after the collision, but the angle does not show the full extent of the damage, the other party’s insurance company may argue that the harm and injuries you sustained are not as severe as you claimed them to be.
- Don’t post apologies or regrets: By posting an apology or indicating that you feel guilty about the incident, you have opened the door for the defense or the insurer to shift the blame from the individual at fault to you. This simple statement may seem innocent enough, but all it does is allow the other side to blame you for the accident or indicate you are partially liable for it.
- Don’t check in to locations. It may seem harmless to check in at a gym on your social media accounts. Still, if you are claiming debilitating injuries after an accident, this action can produce contradictory evidence that significantly helps the other side.
- Don’t share medical information.Posting information about your medical condition allows the other side to question the severity of your injuries. It can also help them find evidence indicating that the injuries resulted from a pre-existing condition and not the accident in question.
- Don’t delete any of your existing posts. Even if you delete information from your social media profiles, it’s not impossible to retrieve. It is best to leave what you have there. Otherwise, it can look like you are trying to cover up the details of the incident.