Social Media Mistakes You Want To Avoid While Waiting For Your Car Accident Settlement
Michael Babboni
Car Accidents
The wait between experiencing your accident and receiving your settlement can be excruciating. There are medical bills mounting up, you’re still recovering from your injuries, and you may be going without paychecks for a prolonged period of time. Venting on social media can be a way to feel a bit of normalcy and stress-relief in these uncertain times, but the way you use your social media can greatly impact your settlement.For instance, something as simple as going out for a nice dinner with your family and posting the dinner on your social media accounts can put your entire settlement in jeopardy.
It's important to remember that insurance companies are businesses first, and they’ll want to protect their bottom line as much as possible when it comes to settlement payouts. If your insurance provider can find a loophole that may question just how “injured” you are, they will not hesitate to use it to their own advantage. Claims adjusters know just how rich social media is when it comes to finding these loopholes, so all social media use should be approached very carefully to ensure you’re not harming your case.
With the right personal injury attorney by your side in St. Petersburg, you can rest assured that you’re not inadvertently hurting your case with your social media use. Your attorney will be able to monitor your use, provide valuable insight, and handle your case in a way that gives you your best chance for success.
Approaching Social Media After An Accident
The best way to approach social media while waiting for your personal injury settlement after an accident is to avoid it completely. However, with the reliance that many have on social media in these modern times, that’s not always a reasonable possibility. If you cannot completely avoid social media after your accident, a few mistakes you’ll want to make sure to avoid are:
• Don’t talk about the accident – A first key rule to social media use after an accident is to avoid all talk about the accident until your claim is settled. Not only can your own posts be used against you, but comments and posts by others as well. A simple statement talking about the stress in your life at the time the accident occurred can be used to imply that you were driving “distracted” and may be partially liable for the accident that occurred. Avoid any details, broad or specific, having to do with the accident at all.
• Talking about how you feel – Mentioning that you’re feeling great today might seem innocuous and innocent, but it reads as an opportunity for insurance claims adjusters. Even if you have a good day that day, and you’re thrilled about it, insurance providers may use this as a way to “prove” that you’re not as injured as you claim.
• Any activities you may be participating or participated in – Posting old photos of a vacation from a couple of months ago that you found sitting on a memory card is an innocent action during any other time, but not when you’re waiting on a car accident settlement. Whether you’re posting an undated photo from months ago, or you’re posting the photos of your meal from dinner the other night, any and all activities may be used against you in your settlement claim.
What To Do
The best thing you can do is to avoid social media completely after an accident, at least until your claim is settled. If you must use social media during this time, avoid any talk about the accident, your feelings, or any activities you may be participating in until your claim has been finalized. If you’ve been in an accident and you’re curious about your social media use, contact us at TheStPeteLawyer.com to learn more today.