In 21st Century society, we interact on social media without even thinking a lot of the time. It’s a great way to post pictures and to stay in touch with family and friends across the globe. However, you should never post accident details on social media if you have been hurt.
If you have been in a car accident, social media can make your personal injury claim more difficult.
Often people who have been involved in an accident may be angry and take to social media to vent their frustrations.
You should be aware if you have been injured in a car accident and make a claim, that rash tweet or Facebook post immediately after the wreck can and will be used against you by the other side.
Accident details on social media may ruin your case
Social media can do little to help your case but it can do a lot to harm it. It can ultimately complicate things but there are ways to protect yourself and your auto accident injury case.
You may be surprised at how some factual content can harm your subsequent case if you are in an accident.
Accident Details on Social Media Could Harm Your Case
For example, you might post pictures of your injuries on social media. However, while you can control these, you can’t necessarily control the comments these pictures can provoke. You may reply and give assessments about your injuries and their extent that are not accurate but can be used against you in a lawsuit.
A common mistake that can be made on social media is the downplaying of injuries. For example, a friend may see a photograph of your injury or a wrecked car and ask how you are feeling.
You may respond that you are “fine” or “ok” even though you are undergoing medical treatment. If your response to your friend is inconsistent with what you told the police or a doctor, the insurance company lawyers may point this out and try to claim you were exaggerating
Any information you tell your friend and what you tell your doctor may be discovered and used against you.
If you have social media accounts, you should check your privacy settings. However, you should bear in mind, high levels of security may prevent your posts being searched by the public but it won’t prevent them being found via a discovery request from lawyers.
It’s more important to simply refrain from posting anything about your accident, or getting drawn into an online conversation. It’s a good rule of thumb to stay off social media altogether or at least to disable your accounts.
The days when social media was obscure and not used as evidence are long gone. Social media statements can leave you criminally and civilly liable. If you are a party to a lawsuit, one of the first things that other side will do is check your accounts on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat.
At the Law Office of Michael West, we can advise you on what to do after a car wreck. Read more about our attorney here or call (404) 913-1529.