Using Social Media After a Motor Vehicle Accident

In today’s society, almost everyone has some form of social media, be it Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok. Social media can be a great tool for keeping in touch with friends and family and letting them know on what’s going on in your life. However, if you’ve been involved in a car, truck, or motorcycle accident, as much as you may want to share the news of the incident, doing so could cost you financially. Depending on what you share, you could be unknowingly putting your insurance claim in jeopardy.

Private Posts Aren’t Necessarily Private

Sharing information on social media about an accident can put your insurance claim at risk. Insurance companies often staff investigators whose job it is to surveil individuals making claims against them and assess their claims for possible fraud. This surveillance is not limited to just making sure you aren’t faking an injury, but also to monitor what you are saying. Saying something as simple as, “I’m not sure if the light was red or not” could completely derail your case and cost you a settlement. The insurance company can and will use any information you post, including text and/or pictures against you should they contest your claim in or out of court.

Keep in mind too that just because you think your social media account is private, doesn’t always mean what you post stays private. The whole concept of social media is the sharing of information, and sometimes people end up sharing things they saw on a private profile with others. Some types of “misinformation” you could share include, but are not limited to:

• Saying you weren’t really injured that badly
• Claiming that the accident was bad, but not that bad
• Attributing your injuries to a pre-existing condition or prior injury
• Posting photos of the accident scene or your vehicle that contradict your claims
• Making statements online that don’t match up with your legal claims

Remember, what you post on social media can be misconstrued and deemed inconsistent with what you’ve said in your insurance claim. If that were to happen, an insurance company may choose to deny your claim all-together. If your claim were to go to court, this information can also be used by the insurance company to substantiate their claim that they are not liable for compensating you for your injuries or other financial losses.

Shared Information Can Be Misinterpreted

While it may be your intention to simply share what happened with your close friends or family members, others may jeopardize your insurance claim by sharing the information indirectly and misquoting what you posted. You might post something like, “Hey guys, I was in a car accident yesterday and my car was totaled.” Then, your friend posts, “Feeling down today, because my friend Jane Doe was in a car wreck yesterday and her car is totaled, but she’s fine and we’re supposed to play golf this weekend.” If a friend or family member shares information on social media, it can become evidence used against you in court—even if you did not share the information yourself. In this example, Jane may have suffered a serious injury she didn’t disclose in her social media post, but her friends’ social media post leads the public to believe Jane is fine and is physically cable of playing golf.

Be On The Safe Side and Don’t Post About It

The best way to help avoid conflict is to simply not post about your accident on social media. Of course you can call your friends and family members and tell them you were in an accident. However, even if you verbally share with friends and family that you were involved in a wreck, do not share details of the accident. If you’ve been involved in a car, truck, or motorcycle accident, the only person you need to be discussing the incident with is an experienced personal injury attorney. The Law Office of Brian Brunson has a 5-star, A+ rating by the Better Business Bureau, and 5-star ratings on Google as well as the AVVO lawyer directory. Contact us today for a free consultation. We’re here to assist you with your claim 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.