Did you know that more than 20 million people are injured in car accidents every year? These injuries can range from mild nuisances like whiplash to severely debilitating issues like broken bones or organ damage.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, it’s important to seek the compensation you need to cover your medical costs. While many people know that they should reach out to a lawyer, they may not realize that their personal behavior could sabotage their case.
When you’ve been in an accident, it’s important to follow proper social media etiquette with your posts following the incident. We’ve got 5 golden rules to help you make sure you protect your interests.
1. Think Before You Post
These days, people post on social media about almost every topic related to their personal lives. This can include anything from pictures of their breakfast to details of their breakups.
But before you go to Facebook to vent after a car accident, think about whether it’s the best medium for sharing. Attorneys like those at Desalvo Law personal injury lawyers recommend avoiding discussing the details of your accident on social media. This way, the opposing side cannot twist your words against you.
2. Avoid Statements of Responsibility
Even folks who know better than to post an update about their accident may make the mistake of posting something that can be interpreted as incriminating.
For instance, let’s say you post about waiting in the shop for car repairs, and someone comments asking what happened. If you reply “I crashed my car,” an opposing attorney could construe this as admitting fault.
3. Be Conservative With Pictures
If you are claiming personal injury, you should be conservative with the pictures you share. For instance, if you’re claiming that you have injuries that make physical activity difficult, posting a selfie of yourself at the beach isn’t a great idea.
4. Don’t Air Your Dirty Laundry
When you get into the weeds with a car accident case, it can become easy to get frustrated. The case might drag on for years. The other party in the accident may try to get money out of you for the case.
Even though you may want to turn to social media to vent, this is not a great idea. Complaining about the case is a bad look, and will make you less sympathetic to a jury if your case goes that far.
5. Seek Advice Privately
On the opposite side of the coin, you may be driven to social media by a desire to seek help. Perhaps you hope that your network will have insight.
But you don’t want your process of thinking through your case to be recorded on the internet. Instead, reach out to acquaintances privately.
Protect Your Case With Good Social Media Etiquette
When you use good social media etiquette, you can ensure that you do not inadvertently share information that can be used against your case.
What strategies do you use to manage your social media after an accident? Let us know in the comments!
