Attorneys
For those who are social media savvy, posting funny snaps, sharing an event using Periscope, and tweeting is second nature. While posting to social media is a great way to keep in touch with friends and share information, after a car accident, posting to social media may harm your claim. Here’s what you should know about social media and car accident claims.
Refrain from Talking about Your Accident
After a car accident, you may be tempted to chat with a friend or post a status update about the crash. However, you should never use social media as a forum for talking about your accident. This is especially true if your social media account is public; an insurance adjuster may look at your account at some point.
If you talk about your accident on social media, you may make an admission of fault, discuss a detail of the wreck that’s later used against you, etc. Because car insurance in Iowa is fault-based (i.e. the person, or car insurance of the individual who is at fault, handles paying for damages), admitting fault may severely impair your damages amount.
Avoid Posting Pictures and Videos
If you’re filing an injury claim after a car accident and want to recover damages for harm that you’ve suffered, avoid the urge to post pictures. An Instagram post of you doing a particular activity (walking, playing, traveling, etc.) may discredit your injury claim.
For example, if you’ve claimed a broken leg injury, but there is a YouTube video of you hobbling across your bedroom to grab something without your crutches, the insurance adjuster may question the validity of your injury. Even if you are taking part in something like #tbt (throwback Thursday) and the photo is from before the car crash, you may still see it brought up in court because you posted it post-crash.
Don’t Post Location Check-ins & Status Updates
Just as harmful as pictures, location check-ins, and status updates may be detrimental to your claim for the same reason. If you are claiming damages for an injury, but ‘check in’ to a location on Foursquare post a Facebook status update about having fun with friends at their house, an insurance adjuster may question whether or not you are as hurt as you claim.
The Best Social Media Policy
The best policy for social media and car crash claims is to just avoid it. In fact, you should even consider temporarily suspending your accounts. If you can’t resist, set your profile to private at the very least, and don’t ‘add’ any new people that you don’t personally know. Interact with it as a user rather than a producer.
To learn more about how social media and auto accident claims, as well as other things that an insurance adjuster may do, call our attorneys today. At Walker, Billingsley & Bair, we can help you negotiate for a fair settlement amount after a car accident. To schedule a consultation, call us today at (888) 435-9886.
