How Social Media Can Affect Your Car Accident Claim

Social Media – Negatively Affecting Your Claim

Social media has continued to become a forefront necessity in younger generations lives. These days almost everyone we know has a Facebook or at least understands what it is. According to Facebook.com, over 1.6 billion people are active on Facebook. Instagram has 100 million active users each month. Our lives are becoming more and more engrossed with having to inform everyone we know where we are, what we are doing and how we feel. Social media can be very useful for staying in touch with friends and family but can also lead to problems if you share certain things.

Informing vs. Sharing too much

Sharing too much information can have a backlash effect. After being in a car accident and the investigation is still under way, you may feel the need to express all of your feelings on social media. Social media is a public form of expression that can be viewed by almost anyone, including insurance companies. Even if you have privacy settings in place, you still run the risk of an insurance company becoming aware of a post that may share something new or negative on your end.

Think Before Posting:

It is best to stay away from posting on social media altogether while your claim is being evaluated. While it can be tempting to post a rant on your Facebook about what happened after a crash and how mad you are, it is in your best interests to keep details to yourself. By posting on your social media accounts, you can be jeopardizing any compensation you could receive.

Examples:

For example, if you are filing a personal injury claim saying you were involved in a car accident, and you have trouble walking or doing basic tasks, but you post a video of you jumping and dancing around. The court could get ahold of your social media content and rule that you are not entitled to compensation for the damages. Similar to physical ailments, emotional distress is also something that can be taken into scrutiny if someone finds a recent blog or post you made that expresses the opposite.