3 Social Media Mistakes to Avoid After a Accident

After any major life event—good or bad—it is only natural to grab your phone and share the details on social media. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter allow you to connect with thousands of people at the touch of a button. Regardless of what is going on in your life, reaching out to friends and followers online can make the situation feel that much better. Using social medial after an accident, however, can seriously harm your claim.

If you intend to hire a lawyer and make a claim related to an accident, think twice before engaging in social media. Many lawyers will ask that you cease using social media during the pendency of your claim. At a minimum, you should increase your privacy settings, limit your use, and be careful about what you post.

The reason is simple: Insurance companies and defense lawyers may take something you post out of context and use it to challenge your credibility, contradict another statement you have made, or question the veracity of you injuries. There is no way to know how your photos or posts will be interpreted (or misinterpreted). Because your credibility is critically important to the success of your claim, you want to avoid giving the insurance company or defense lawyers any reason to question it.

If you do utilize social media after an accident, be sure to avoid these 3 mistakes:

1. Posting About the Accident

Something as innocuous as sharing a link to a news article about the accident could be imisnterpreted. Should the article contain any inaccuracies, which it may since news articles are often written before any investigation has been entirely completed, it may open the door for the insurance company to question your version of the accident. Be sure not to share any link, photographs, or comments that could be considered “statements” about the accident.

2. Sharing Your Social Life

Insurance companies and defense lawyers may use pictures of your social life to argue that you are not as injured as you claim. They can use photographs of you out to dinner, with family, on vacation, etc. to argue either that you are not hurt or that the quality of your life has not been affected by the accident. To avoid these issues, refrain from posting anything about your social life that can be misinterpreted and ask friends and family to avoid tagging you in their posts.

3. Keeping Your Profiles Public

You should increase the privacy settings on your social media accounts and avoid inviting or friending anyone you do not know personally. Stricter privacy settings will not ensure that insurance adjusters and defense lawyers cannot see your social media, but it will make it considerably more difficult for them to do so.

Discuss Your Claim with a Car Accident Attorney in Miami

If you or a loved one have been injured in a Florida personal injury or wrongful death matter, please contact Viñas & DeLuca for a free and confidential consultation by calling (305) 372-3650.  There is never a fee or cost to you unless our law firm can recover money for you.  You can also complete our Free Case Evaluation Form or easily chat with us online, and one of our experienced Florida personal injury attorneys will contact you right away. We are here 24/7/365 to speak with you and answer your questions. If you cannot come to us, we will come to you.