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Were you involved in an accident? Are you worried that the opposing party may be monitoring your social media presence? At West Coast Trial Lawyers, our personal injury attorneys will not only assist you with the process of filing a claim, but we will also provide guidance on the do’s and don’ts of how to use your social media account after being involved in an accident.
Our legal team has more than 100 years of collective experience in handling personal injury cases. With our track record of recovering more than $1.5 billion in settlements and judgments for our clients, we are confident that we will help get you the compensation you deserve for your losses. We run on a contingency-fee basis, meaning that if we do not win or settle your case, you are not obligated to compensate us for the services we have provided.
If you would like to learn more about the legal services we offer, feel free to give us a call at (888) 573-3619 or by completing our online contact form to set up a free consultation. We are available 24/7 to answer phone calls and respond to form submissions.
Why You Should Not Be Posting on Social Media After Getting Involved in an Accident
After an accident, it is understandable for a person to be filled with an overwhelming amount of emotions. After all, being involved in an accident is a traumatizing experience that takes many people a few days, weeks, months, or even years to get over. Many people will turn to therapists or document their daily thoughts in a journal or diary. However, others will turn to social media to express what they are thinking to their friends or followers.
This can become a problem, especially if you have your account set to public. Sharing details in regards to your accident could actually do more damage to your case more than you think. The opposing party will take any opportunity given to use your content against you to make it seem like you caused the accident.
For this reason, it is essential for accident victims to seek legal representation from a personal injury attorney. Your attorney will help monitor your social media activity to ensure you do not make any statements or post images that could be detrimental to the outcome of your case.
Avoid Making These Mistakes on Social Media After Your Lawsuit Has Been Processed
Social media is used for many things, such as sharing what you are up to, expressing your opinion on a certain matter, catching up on the latest news locally or globally, and posting pictures or video footage of yourself or what is around you. Seems easy to use, right? For someone who is not involved in a personal injury lawsuit, there aren’t any potential risks involved when making a post. However, those who are pursuing legal action against someone else for causing an accident are expected to limit their social media use as it can affect the outcome of their settlement offer.
Below, we have created an informative list with the intent to educate people on what you should avoid posting online once you have become involved in a personal injury lawsuit.
Do Not Share Details About Your Lawsuit Online
Posting about your case on social media can be misinterpreted or misconstrued by others, specifically the opposing party in your case. Any information relating to the lawsuit that is shared online can and will be used against you. This can greatly affect the outcome of your settlement offer.
Do Not Make Any Public Comments About the Accident on Social Media or a Media Outlet’s Site
If information about your accident was being shared across news outlet websites or social media posts, do not communicate with anyone who is sharing their opinion about the incident. Any statements you give out publicly can be used as evidence by the opposing party.
Do Not Post Any Images or Video Footage
Once you have claimed that you sustained injuries after the accident, you should not be posting any images or video footage of yourself on social media. The opposing party will likely come across these posts and assume your condition appears less severe as you stated in your claim.
You should also avoid posting pictures of your injuries or damaged vehicle. The opposing party may acquire these pieces of content and flip the story around to convince the jury that you have exaggerated your statements.
Always keep in mind that a picture is worth a thousand words and can be interpreted in many ways. In your perspective, it could be a harmless image or video footage, but the opposing party could develop several ideas on how to make your posts useful to use against you in court.
Do Not Allow Your Friends or Family Members to Post Pictures of You
For instance, if you are attending a gathering, it is likely that people will be taking pictures there. If you happen to photo bomb or be involved in any photos that are being taken, you should let the photo taker or the one interested in posting the photo that you do not want the image to be posted online nor do you want to be tagged in it.
Do Not Make Your Social Media Account Public
To prevent the opposing party from gaining access to your social media account, you should have all platforms set under private. Switching to a private account will also prevent outsiders from obtaining information that they intend on using against you to better their chances of winning the case.
If you receive follow or friend requests from strangers after the accident, do not accept them. It is more than likely that these requests are made by people who have some sort of ties or connection with one or more people from the opposing party.
Do Not Share Any Information Without Discussing It First With Your Personal Injury Attorney
After an accident, you should seek legal representation from a personal injury attorney. Your attorney will guide you through the do’s and don’ts of what you should be doing while filing a personal injury claim. If you are planning on making any posts to social media, whether it relates to your case or not, you should send it over to your attorney. Your attorney will review your drafts and will let you know if it is safe for you to share your content to others online.
