For most of us when something notable happens to us we share it on Social Media. However, if you are in the process of filing a car accident lawsuit, you must tread carefully. In our experience as car accident attorneys in New Bedford, we’ve seen all kinds of issues arise when our clients post online. While we understand that social media is a great outlet for most people to deal with the stress of recovering from an injury that was not their fault, it’s a good idea to stay away from it whenever you can. If that’s not possible or you would prefer to continue using your social media platforms, below are seven crucial rules that you should follow until your lawsuit is resolved.

7 crucial social media rules you should follow while your car accident lawsuit is in progress

1. Take a break from social media

The best way to make sure that social media doesn’t ruin your car accident claim is to take a hiatus. This means staying away from social media until your case is resolved. You should use that time to focus on your recovery and reconnect with friends and family. You should also take the time to journal your road to recovery in a diary instead of on social media.

2. Consult your New Bedford car accident attorney

In this era of social media, we understand that there are people who earn a living from it. You might be an influencer on Instagram or you might be a content creator on YouTube with millions of followers. If this is the case, you should ask your car accident attorney in New Bedford to help you navigate your life on social media during this time.

3. Do not share with anyone details about your car accident case 

It might seem okay to directly message your friends on social media rather than posting status updates about your case. Keep in mind that anything you share online is not private, even in a private message. There have been situations where plaintiffs have been ordered by the court to hand over their social media handles and passwords. While this might be in extreme circumstances, it’s best to avoid sharing details about your case with anyone online.

4. Request your friends and family not to post details regarding your case online

Your family and your friends might think they are doing you a favor by publicly posting about how you will deal with the at-fault driver through a good New Bedford car accident lawyer. Some might even tag you in pictures where you seem happy to prove to other people that despite your car accident, you’re in good shape. While they may not have any malicious intentions, they might ruin your car accident lawsuit.

For example, you might be seeking compensation for emotional distress but then your family member tags you in a picture where you look happy and content with your life even though the picture was taken while you are in extreme pain. the insurance adjuster might claim that you are exaggerating your emotional distress or that you are not distressed at all. 

5. Do not create new posts while your car accident lawsuit is in progress

In the course of conducting their investigation, insurance adjusters will want to view your social media profile. They might send you a friend request pretending to be just a stranger who wants to connect with you or your page might be public and easily accessible to anyone. If they can access your information and they find pictures of you happily going on a hike when you claim that you suffered a broken leg in your car accident lawsuit, they will use those pictures to discredit your claim.

6. Do not be tempted to post about your accident

The moment you post that you were in an accident, you’ll get comments asking if you are okay. Your natural response will be to assure everyone that you are okay. Best believe that an insurance adjuster can use your response to deny your claim. They will argue that your injuries were non-existent based on your social media post.

7. Adjust your privacy settings

While there’s nothing that you can share online that will ever be completely private, you should take these necessary steps to ensure that your profile is private:

• Limiting the number of people that can see your past posts
• Limiting who can send you friend requests
• Limiting who can see your future posts
• Ensure that you enable the option to review anything that you are tagged in
• Limit who can see your  friend list

Our new Bedford car accident lawyers are happy to help

If you’ve been in a car accident in New Bedford, you can contact us today at 508-999-0800 to schedule your free initial consultation.