You need to be careful of what you post online after a car accident. While one woman discovered she could post a review of her eyeliner after a car accident and receive social media fame, in general, it is best to post as little as possible until the insurance claim is final.
Posting the wrong thing could seriously jeopardize your auto accident claim.
Trying to calm down concerned family members
Even if you have not posted anything to Facebook or Twitter yet, family members and friends may hear about the incident. They may contact you through social media just to make sure you are all right. Posting something along the lines of, “I am fine,” can jeopardize a claim if you actually did sustain injuries. You may simply want to say you are fine to calm people down, but the insurance adjuster will not see it that way. Contact the person privately instead.
Accepting new friend requests
You may have your Facebook settings to where only people who are actually your friends can see your posts. Until the claim is final, you should avoid accepting any new friend requests from people you do not know. It could be an insurance adjuster trying to find more information.
Posting any pictures
Your claim may involve an injury you sustained. However, the next week, you post a picture of you lounging by the beach. The other driver’s insurance agency may use that photo as evidence you are not as badly injured as you said. This would also be a good time to tell friends and family not to tag you in any pictures either.
Avoiding emotional outbursts
Regardless of who is at fault, you do not want to post anything negative about the other person involved in the collision. The opposing side may use that rant in court to garner sympathy for the other driver. The best rule of thumb is to simply keep the events of the accident private.
