Facebook Can Hurt Your Car Accident Case
Facebook can hurt your car accident case in several ways, so the best practice is to not say or post anything about your car accident. This can be challenging for people who want to reach out to their friends and family for support. If you are coping with catastrophic injuries, you may also be dealing with adjustments to your daily life, leading to anxiety, depression, or loneliness.
Instead of talking about your accident or potential case on social media, consider reaching out to a car accident lawyer from our firm to discuss your case. Our Fort Lauderdale car accident attorneys can help you figure out whether it is OK to discuss any aspects of your case online or with other people. Also, our car accident lawyers have experience supporting people who are dealing with painful injuries and the frustration that comes with being involved in an accident.
Reasons you shouldn’t Post Anything on Social Media after an Accident
Here are some of the main reasons why you shouldn’t post on social media after a car accident:
The information you post can be used against you
Many of us use social media to share daily updates about our lives or to capture important memories. But even a photo of you at a party, family gathering, or at the gym can be used to suggest that you weren’t actually injured in the crash.
Many accident victims think it is fine to keep posting about things as long as the content is not related to their accident. But if you continue to post as you normally would, the other side may argue that your life has not been significantly affected by the accident and that you have not experienced any mental anguish or suffering.
Based on this, it may be best not to post anything at all on your social media pages after an accident until you decide if you are going to pursue insurance benefits or compensation in a lawsuit.
Speaking Badly about the other parties or the insurance company can be seen as bad faith
The insurance claims process and/or legal process can be frustrating. Although plenty of cases go smoothly and are resolved in a timely fashion, some cases are more complex and may take longer to resolve.
It can be highly stressful to realize that an insurance company is trying to take advantage of you or learn that the other driver is refusing to take responsibility.
However, posting negative comments about other parties involved in the case can quickly backfire. An insurance company or opposing party may use these negative comments to argue that you are not acting in good faith, which generally means dealing fairly with others and being honest.
Avoid appearing in other People’s Photos or Posts
It can be hard to control where you show up on social media websites, but it is important to limit your appearances as much as possible. This means refraining from being tagged in other posts, being mentioned in comments, or showing up in photographs that other people post.
If you are tagged in a post or appear in a photo, the insurance company or other party may claim that you are going about your life as usual and that the accident did not affect you as much as you say it did.
Ask your friends and family members to avoid referring to you. If you see a mention, tag, or photo, try to remove it or ask the person who posted it to edit it so that you are no longer mentioned.
How to protect yourself after a car accident
There are a few steps you can take to make sure you are responsible for social media usage after an accident:
- Set your accounts to private so that only the people who follow you can still view your page. This will help protect your privacy and prevent any information you posted before the accident from being used against you.
- Do not accept any new friend requests or allow new people to follow you. This will also help keep your information private and prevent any of your information from being leaked.
- Ask your friends and family to refrain from saying anything about you or the accident. Many of our loved ones want to let us know they support us, but doing so through social media can have a detrimental effect. Ask them to call, email, text, or write instead.
Call Our Office now for a Free Consultation
If you want to learn more about how Facebook can hurt your car accident case and ways to protect yourself, call the Law Offices of Wolf & Pravato today. We offer a free consultation so that you can ask questions about social media, your potential case, the damages you may be entitled to receive, and how we can assist you. The consultation is free and confidential, so you have nothing to lose.
Act quickly to make sure you can file your lawsuit before the statute of limitations expires, which is four years from the date of the accident, according to Florida Statutes § 95.11 (3)(a). Dial (954) 633-8270 now to speak with a team member.
