Social media has gone from a niche form of communication used primarily by teenagers and young adults to an everyday part of life. Businesses of all sorts and people of all ages use social media on a daily basis.
Some people have even become addicted to social media use. They compulsively scroll and feel compelled to share details about their personal lives with their online friends and acquaintances to ensure regular interactions and digital feedback. The choices that people make regarding social media use can sometimes have unintended consequences.
People often share stories, videos and pictures of exciting and unusual occurrences. For example, they might want to take pictures of their visibly dramatic injuries or totaled vehicles after car crashes. While that impulse can lead to a surge of dopamine when others interact with the post, the person sharing about their misfortune online could unintentionally hurt their chances of obtaining compensation later.
Social media posts can become evidence
Anything that people share online can potentially work against them if they end up embroiled in a legal dispute. The other party involved in a legal issue can hire professionals who look into an individual’s social media habits. Those professionals might create fake accounts to access an individual’s content or may reach out to the people they have connections with online to ask about that person’s behavior or injuries.
In some cases, the other party involved in a car crash could request discovery rights. In that situation, they may have access to all social media use records, including deleted content and information shared privately in non-public groups or direct messages. Even information that people attempt to delete, hide or otherwise remove can turn up during the discovery process.
It is typically beneficial to avoid sharing anything about a car crash and the injuries that result from it online until after the resolution of the compensation claim. Little decisions that people make immediately after a car crash can have major consequences.
Discussing a collision with someone familiar with personal injury law and insurance claims can help people avoid common mistakes. Keeping personal information off of social media may make it easier for people to hold the right party accountable after a motor vehicle collision.