Posting on social media after a car accident is risky. You may have good intentions in sharing your life with others, but almost anything you say online could potentially harm your case. Let’s take a closer look at the role of social media in car accident cases.
What is the Role of Social Media in My Car Accident Case?
After your car accident, don’t be surprised if the insurance company looks you up on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and more. This has become a standard method insurance companies use to dig up details about people’s personal lives.
If you’ve been posting information about your car accident, the insurance company will notice what you say. Vague things you’ve mentioned in the past and photos of your daily life could be twisted to mean something you didn’t intend.
What if you were live-streaming around the time of the accident? This could lead to an accusation of distracted driving. Even just being a heavy social media user who posts all day long could imply that your attention is often divided.
Don’t allow them to use your social media against you. We recommend taking the following steps to review your social media presence.
Stay Silent
Avoid sharing information on social media for the duration of your case. Don’t talk about your accident or refer to injuries, vehicle damage, insurance money, or anything else remotely tied to the situation. Even saying something simple like, “I’m feeling fine,” implies that you’re uninjured and doing well after the accident.
Strengthen your privacy settings across all social media sites and apps. Don’t accept any new followers. You can even suspend your accounts temporarily to prevent access.
Google Yourself
Start by looking yourself up on Google to see what comes up in the public search. What information is easily accessible about you by anyone on the internet?
Continue examining public profiles including comments on Google reviews, Amazon, Glassdoor, and similar sites. Think about how these seemingly normal comments might be viewed by an insurance company or someone else’s lawyer looking to dispute your accident claim.
Check Posts
Go through each of your social media accounts to see anything questionable that could be used against you in your accident case. This includes old posts about almost any type of injury.
If you complained about a sore neck from work, for example, the insurance company could try to claim that your car accident isn’t the cause of a new neck injury. Similarly, an old post about a doctor’s visit or chiropractor’s treatment could suggest you have pre-existing injuries.
If you’ve already posted something about the accident, don’t remove it. This can be viewed as destruction of evidence. This is why lawyers tell people not to say anything in the first place.
Get Representation
Contact a car accident lawyer as soon as possible to learn about your options and discuss how to protect your privacy. Steer clear of social media until you’ve met with your lawyer to determine the best way to handle it.
Top Social Media Mistakes After a Car Accident
As you can see, social media is one of the most common things to avoid after a car accident because it creates a minefield of potential problems. Here are some of the mistakes people sometimes make with social media in car accident cases.
Mistake: Talking About Your Injuries
Talking about your injuries on social media provides an opportunity for people to pick apart your words. Insurance company representatives are experts at doing just this. Don’t post anything about being injured, going to the doctor, recovering, and so forth.
Mistake: Sharing Photos of Your Accident
Your photos can be used to paint an inaccurate picture of what happened before, during, or after the accident. Give accident photos to your lawyer, but don’t share them publicly. Also, keep in mind that many social media sites geo-tag photos to show the person’s exact time and location.
Mistake: Discussing Conflicts in Your Case
Don’t make social media posts about your conflicts with anyone, including the police, insurance companies, doctors, and other people in the accident. Avoid all contact with the opposing party and never get into an online debate with them. Refer all questions and comments to your lawyer.
Need to Know More About the Role of Social Media? Ask Crossen Law Firm
After your car accident, stay off social media and contact the Indiana car accident lawyers at Crossen Law Firm. You deserve representation from an experienced legal team that makes it a priority to help injured clients recover the maximum possible compensation.
Call 317-401-8626 for a free consultation or contact us online.
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