You might regularly use social media to discuss the significant events that occur in your life. A car accident certainly qualifies as a life-changing event, especially if you have serious injuries due to a negligent driver. You likely would want to make one or more social media posts referencing your accident, however, any statement that you make might impact a personal injury case. For this reason, it is best to stay off social media during your legal case.
Auto Insurers and Lawyers Might Check Social Media
A lot of people make social media posts that cause problems. For example, some people post evidence of their illegal activities on social media, leading to a conviction. Some people also post information about car accidents and hurt their cases as a result.
Auto insurers and lawyers know that some claimants will post information about their accident on social media. An insurance representative or lawyer might monitor your social media accounts. The insurance company may have to pay the claim and they want to do the most due diligence.
Virtually any social media post that you make regarding an accident likely will be logged. Those posts might be used as evidence in your favor or to your detriment, which is why you should be very careful about accident-related posts. The best policy is to make no posts at all about your car accident.
It is important to remember that Maryland is a “pure” contributory negligence state. If you do anything to contribute to an accident, you will not be able to recover damages. This makes it much easier for your claim to be denied, even if you are minimally at fault for an accident. All that the insurer or lawyer needs to do is find a way to partly blame you for causing the accident. Maybe you were speeding or your vehicle was not properly maintained at the time of the accident.
Even if you only contributed a small amount in causing the accident, your claim will likely be denied, so it is best not to do anything to jeopardize your case. That small amount of fault might become apparent via one or more of your social media posts. For this reason, it is critical to not post about your accident on any social media account.
The Influence of Social Media
You might want to make comments about an accident, how it happened, and the extent of injuries or damage. However, if your online posts differ significantly from what you told your insurer, police, or lawyer, your claim might be denied, leaving you with no compensation.
An insurer or lawyer only needs some information that contradicts your claim. Contradictory evidence provided by you would be enough to cast reasonable doubt. For example, you might post something that says you did not see the other vehicle coming. An insurance adjuster could interpret that to mean you were not paying attention and contributed to the accident. An adjuster also might conclude you caused the accident and leave it up to you to prove otherwise.
Even if your claim is approved, the insurer might lowball the settlement amount due to comments made online. If someone via social media asks how you are feeling, you might say that you feel pretty good considering you were in an accident. Such a statement and others like it could result in a lower settlement amount.
Avoiding the topic and staying off social media is the best policy until your case is settled.
How to Safely Use Social Media During a Personal Injury Case?
Some general tips could help you avoid issues in your personal injury case. Here are some important social media tips you should follow:
- Make all of your social media accounts private. In addition to not posting about your accident on social media, you should make your social media accounts private as well. That could help prevent an insurance representative or lawyer from prying into your social media comments and trying to dig up damaging information to use against you.
- Do not accept new friend requests from people you do not know. You also should refrain from accepting friend invites from people you do not know, especially during a legal case. An insurance representative or lawyer may be the one sending a friend invite with the sole aim of prying into your social media posts.
Additionally, an insurance adjuster or lawyer might search your name, phone number, or email on social media to find your account. You should look into how you can make these things private. You should exercise strict care in keeping your social media activities private and minimize posts until your case is settled.
Towson Car Accident Lawyers at Huesman, Jones & Miles, LLC Uphold the Rights of Accident Survivors
Posting on social media may be tempting after a life-changing event such as a car accident, but it is best to avoid doing so. If you have been injured in a collision, one of our experienced Towson car accident lawyers at Huesman, Jones & Miles, LLC can advise you on your legal options. Call us at 443-589-0150 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation. We are located in Hunt Valley and Towson, Maryland, and we proudly serve clients across Baltimore, Baltimore County, Bel Air, Bentley Springs, Columbia, Freeland, Hereford, Hampton, Westminster, Essex, Monkton, Sparks Glencoe, Parkton, Phoenix, Pikesville, White Hall, Carroll County, Harford County, and Howard County.
