NEVER POST DETAILS OF A CAR ACCIDENT ON FACEBOOK

Social media has greatly altered how some court cases end. More attorneys bring Facebook posts and tweets into the courtroom to claim someone should not receive as many benefits. This is especially pertinent after a car accident when the insurance company will use anything possible to get out of paying damages.

Following a traffic collision, you never want to post pictures of yourself or your car onto Facebook. You also want to avoid posting details of the trial. The reason is that a status update of you saying, “I was in a car accident, but I feel fine” could give the opposing party evidence that you did not sustain significant injuries to warrant a high payout. Here are the ways you should handle your social media accounts following an accident.

Disable Accounts

You do not want to delete any pictures or statuses already on your accounts because the judge may view that as destruction of evidence. However, it is acceptable for you to suspend your accounts until the trial is over. You can go onto Facebook and make a post along the lines of, “I will not be on Facebook for a while. Please contact me by phone if you need to get in touch.” For the time being, you can stick with email and texts for communication.

Talk to Friends About Posting Information on Your Behalf

Your friends can tag you in pictures and statuses, and these can work to your disadvantage. For example, a friend may post a photo of you out partying after the accident happened. The insurance agency can use that photo as evidence your injuries are not bad or else you could not go out and party. Talk to your friends about not posting anything about you onto social media until the trial finishes. Even if you have private account settings, attorneys still have their ways of finding out everything about you, so be cautious of what you post.