So many of us practically live on social media, and if something out of the ordinary happens to us, we’re so used to sharing it that we barely give it any thought. And an accident definitely qualifies as something out of the ordinary. But should you really share it?

Unfortunately, sharing information about your accident and anything related to it is a very bad idea. So the answer to the question as to whether you should post on social media about your accident is, “Absolutely not!”

I’m sorry for being such a spoilsport, but once you see all the reasons for the argument that posting on social media is such a bad idea, you will hopefully agree and refrain from posting your “news.” If you have any doubts, talk to your accident lawyer.

Who Can See Your Social Media Posts?

Let’s start by looking at who can see your posts on social media. If you are on Facebook, for example, you may think that the only people who can see what’s on your page are those you have given access to your page, such as your closest friends and family members. But don’t count on it!

People can share your information without you even knowing about it. Sure, you can lock or delete your information. However, it continues to live on in some hidden place on Facebook and can easily be retrieved in response to a court order and subpoena.

Believe it or not, that’s a real possibility. In fact, if you’ve been injured during the accident and you have an experienced car accident attorney who is working with you to recover compensation for your injuries, you can absolutely count on it. The lawyers and the insurance experts on the other side will do whatever they can to get their hands on any information that can hurt your case.

These lawyers and insurance adjusters are none too eager to give you the money you deserve. Instead, they will try to use anything you post on Facebook. Twitter, Instagram, and on other social media sites against you. So posting information on social media after an accident is a big mistake.

What Kind of Information Can Be Used Against You?

You’ll be shocked to know just what kind of information can (and will) be used against you. The only protection you really have is to refrain from posting it. I realize that this will be hard for you. After all, you want to update your friends and your family on how you’re doing.

The problem with “updating” them is that you may well try to be reassuring and downplay your injuries and disabilities. Yet that’s exactly the kind of thing that can come back to hurt you. The opposing party will jump on anything that could downplay the severity of your injuries and use it to argue that you’re not as badly injured as you say you are.

So what are the kinds of things that you should avoid posting on social media? Ideally, you should take a complete break from social media, from posting your own posts as well as from commenting on other people’s posts and even from liking posts. You don’t want to give the impression that you have a lot of time to spend on social media and that you’re enjoying yourself doing so.

And obviously, you should post nothing about your accident, your health condition, or even your mood. If you simply must share any of that, go with the old-fashioned method. Simply pick up the phone and talk to your friends and the members of your family one on one.

You should also not post any photos of yourself or photos of yourself with one or more of your friends while having fun. Whether they show you while being out and about, enjoying dinner in a restaurant, or even hanging out around your hospital bed, they too can make it appear that you’re not seriously injured, especially since you probably look happy as you’re surrounded by your loved ones.

Some of the activities you may be engaged in on the photos may even directly contradict what your lawyer and your doctor have said you’d be able to do. That can completely ruin your credibility and could destroy your entire case.

What about posting old photos, for example photos that had been taken before your accident? That too is a bad idea. It’s hard to distinguish old photos from new ones on social media, so the old ones can easily be misinterpreted as recent photos, and the opposing attorneys will do their darndest to do just that.

If you just can’t bring yourself to go completely cold turkey, at least talk it through with your car accident attorney. They will have some advice on how to publish the occasional post without doing too much damage to your case. Still, remember how hard it is to stop smoking, drinking, or eating candy or dessert. Cold turkey is usually easier than trying to cut down drastically and limit what you post.

Your Attorney, Your Case, And Your Social Media Account

Speaking of your attorney and the conversations you have with them: Remember that they fall under the area of attorney/client privilege in most cases. And you should not disclose the content of these conversations on social media or elsewhere.

Also, keep in mind that whatever you post on social media is subject to interpretation. So if it is interpreted differently from how the evidence was presented in court, you have a serious problem.

Most importantly, keep in mind that it is your attorney’s job to fight for you in negotiations with the insurance companies, and, if necessary, in court, to get you the compensation you deserve. You should do nothing that would undermine their hard work. If you have questions, talk to them.

And if you have been injured in a car accident and don’t have a car accident lawyer yet, it’s high time to get one. Call or email us to arrange for a free consultation. We will be happy to talk with you.