Posting On Social Media After An Accident Can Hurt Your Claim 

So many of us live our lives online today. We share our ups and downs with friends, family, and the rest of the world. We allow people to join our triumphs and wallow in our misery. It is a means of feeling more connected to other people, even when we are thousands of miles away from those we care about.

After a traumatic event like a car accident, it is natural that you want to share your thoughts and feelings about the experience online. Social media platforms can be a great way to gain support from others during a period when you may feel like you desperately need a shoulder to lean on. However, a word of caution. Posting on social media after a car accident can be damaging to your accident claim.

At Portner Bond, PLLC, we want to help people understand why writing about an accident online can be damaging. Before you click ‘send,’ consider how your words may be used to hurt your chances of recovering valuable compensation for your injuries. If you have pressing questions about your own case, don’t hesitate to reach out to our experienced legal team today.

The Risks Associated with Posting Online

When you post about something on social media, that part of your life becomes an open book. Just about anyone with access to the internet can read your words. While this may seem harmless when you are talking about your grandmother’s birthday or posting a picture with you and your friends out to dinner, your posts can be detrimental to your car accident claim.

Following an accident, never post about the crash online on any social media platform. Ever. You should avoid venting, apologizing, or even mentioning the accident in any capacity. Your words, no matter how innocent you perceive them to be, can and will be used against you by an insurer or attorney. Insurance companies are for-profit companies. It is in their best interest to limit the amount of money they pay out to accident victims whenever possible. Insurance adjusters are well-versed in twisting the narrative in a way that benefits the company and not you.

How is this done? In many cases, you may be asked to provide an official statement to an insurer about the accident. If your online post or description in any way varies from your official statement, an adjuster can claim fraud or deny your claim. You may not even realize your two accounts differ from one another. You may have innocently forgotten to mention a detail when you were rushed to provide a statement. To an adjuster or an attorney, it doesn’t matter.

You may be worried that word of mouth will spread, and people will be worried about whether you are hurt. Avoid posting anything about your injuries. Writing something as harmless-sounding as “I’m fine” can derail your claim. To an adjuster or attorney, you just admitted that you did not suffer any injuries because of the accident. The truth may be that you suffered greatly, but don’t want friends to be worried. Again, it doesn’t matter. Your words will not be taken that way. Let your medical records do the talking for you in a car accident claim. Contact us today.

The Don’ts of Social Media

In truth, you should avoid posting anything on social media until after your car accident claim is resolved. Posting a picture of yourself enjoying a night out with friends is enough to make an adjuster suspicious. They may believe that if you are well enough to go out, you don’t need compensation for your injuries. They will assume your injuries are not severe. Is that the truth of the matter? Probably not, but an adjuster or attorney will paint that picture to save money.

If you can’t live without social media, tread very carefully online and consider the following list of don’ts:

• Do not use online check-ins that tell people your location
• Do not accept any new friend requests
• Do not share details of the accident online
• Do not post pictures of the accident online

You may also want to consider setting your accounts to private and asking friends and family to avoid talking about the accident online as well. You would be amazed at how easy it is for an insurer or opposing attorney to find your information online. If the temptation is too much, try deactivating your social media accounts until your claim is resolved. You can reactivate everything as soon as your case has been finalized.

One final word of caution. If you have already made the mistake of posting about the accident on social media, do not make that mistake worse by deleting your post or history. If an insurer or attorney has already found your post, deleting it can be viewed as the destruction of evidence and could land you in hot water.

Get an Experienced Car Accident Attorney on Your Side

If you need help managing your car accident claim, turn to the experienced Beaumont car accident lawyers of Portner Bond, PLLC. Our legal team can pursue maximum compensation for your injuries while also helping you navigate the complexities that social media can bring to the table. Contact our office today at (409) 838-4444 to set up your free consultation.