You’ve been in a car accident, you’ve made sure everyone’s ok and you called the police. Now, you’ve been told that the next call should be your insurance company, maybe even the other party’s insurance company. And you’re tempted to post, snap, tweet ot pin photos of your accident to reassure everyone that you’re ok.
BEEN INJURED? 5 RULES ABOUT POSTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA
YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS CAN RUIN YOUR ACCIDENT CASE!!
You’re in an accident and to reassure your friends and family, you go right to Facebook and post that you’re fine. Maybe you take some photos for Instagram, perhaps with a selfie of you smiling to show you’re ok, or shoot a TikTok showing you walking around the accident scene.
Do you know who is scouring your social media sites (which are never really private)? The defendant’s insurance companies and their lawyers! And every post, tweet, snap, etc you post during or after your accident can be used in a court of law.
5 RULES OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO FOLLOW AFTER AN ACCIDENT
RULE #1: NOTHING IS TRULY PRIVATE
Your privacy settings do not ensure that your information is protected. Friends who tag you might reveal a picture of you that might be interpreted against you. You have no control over who tags you. If your privacy settings are not particularly restrictive, an investigator could locate some of your account’s content. Your name and email address or place of employment will make it easy for an investigator to pinpoint your account and start monitoring it.
And don’t think you can post and then delete. The Wayback Machine and others like it can find anything that was ever posted.
RULE #2: PHOTOS CAN TELL THE WRONG STORY.
You go to your nephew’s 1st birthday party and even though you are in pain, or have difficulty getting up out of the chair, your friend posts a photo of you picking him up to give him a birthday hug. Maybe, just one time for a family wedding you push yourself to wear those pretty heels and you take a TikTok to share the joy of dancing with the bride.