Social media usage has become increasingly popular in the last two decades. While only 5% of Americans regularly used social media in 2005, nearly 75% do today. Posting to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or another platform after a car crash, though, may be more trouble than it is worth.
With few exceptions, insurance companies make money by paying out as little as possible on claims. Consequently, an insurance adjuster may be looking for ways to deny your claim or lower your payout. Here are three ways social media may complicate your car crash.
1. You appear healthy
Any car accident has the potential to leave you with serious and life-altering injuries. Therefore, you should always seek medical care following a car crash, even if you do not have pain. Then, you should heed your doctor’s advice and work on recovering completely.
With many social media users, online posts paint a rosy picture of life and experiences. If your post-accident posts make you seem healthier than you are, an insurance provider may think you are misstating the severity of your injuries.
2. You accept blame
If a car accident causes you to suffer an injury, you may be able to pursue fair compensation from whomever caused the accident. Regrettably, though, if you were mostly responsible for the crash, you may not be able to recover any financial damages.
When you post to social media, you may inadvertently or intentionally accept blame for the collision. If an insurance provider does not want to pay your claim, someone from the company may use your posts to assign fault to you.
3. You make conflicting statements
Often, injured individuals receive insurance payouts without ever stepping foot in court. Still, if you have to file a lawsuit or engage in settlement talks, you do not want to make conflicting statements. This is especially true if you are under oath.
Even private social media posts have a way of becoming public. Therefore, you can expect an opposing party to search your social media accounts for evidence of conflicting statements. To avoid complicating matters, you may want to take a temporary hiatus from social media.
