Why You Should Be Careful Using Social Media After a Car Accident
by
Christopher Hoffmann on Aug. 30, 2018
Accident & Injury Car Accident Accident & Injury Accident & Injury Personal Injury
Summary: If you are skeptical of the fact that insurance companies will look into your social media, you shouldn’t be.
In the modern age, it seems like everybody is constantly sharing on social media. While this can be positive in some situations, it is harmful in others. One example of the latter is posting information after a car accident. This can weaken your case significantly. Below, we explain what you need to know about social media usage after an automobile accident.
Why It Matters
When you get into an accident, the opposing insurance company will do anything they can to decrease the amount of compensation they are required to pay. One area that they might target is your social media accounts. If anything that you post on these accounts does not match up with your description of your accident and injuries, they can and will use that to weaken your case.
Injury Benefits
One of the primary areas where social media can hurt you is your car accident injury benefits. The reason is that if you make a social media post that makes you look less injured than you are, the opposing party might argue that you deserve fewer benefits. An example would be if you hurt your back and are trying to obtain compensation for it keeping you out of work. This could lead to a significant amount of compensation, but if you make a social media post of you playing football with friends, that could be used as evidence that your injury is not as severe as you claim.
Private Investigation
If you are skeptical of that fact that insurance companies will look into your social media, you shouldn’t be. In fact, these companies sometimes hire private investigators to confirm that your injuries are what you say they are. Part of that investigation will include your social media accounts.
Best Practices
Though a lot can go wrong with social media usage after an accident, you can keep yourself safe with the following best practices.
Don’t Delete - You may be scared of what your social media could do to your case, but you should not delete your accounts entirely. Not only is this necessary, but it makes it look like you are destroying evidence.
Go Private - A great way to keep your information out of the wrong hands is making your profiles private. That way, only friends can see your accounts and posts. Remember, however, that this does not necessarily mean that anything you post won't be seen.
Try Not to Post at All - The best way to make sure you don’t post anything problematic is not posting at all. While this is not realistic for some, it is the safest way forward.
Don’t Share Details or Complaints - You may have the impulse to share details or complaints about your case, but doing so is never a good idea. Instead, keep your legal situation private.
When you get into a car accident and decide to pursue compensation, you need to act responsibly. The first way to do that is hiring a St. Louis car accident lawyer. Next, avoid doing anything that would give the wrong impression, such as complaining about your case on social media. When you do this, you eliminate one of the potential tools your opponent has against you. This will strengthen your case and bring you one step closer to fair compensation.
