When you experience trauma, such as being injured due to the fault of another, it's only natural to want to talk about it with someone. These days, that “someone” is often social media itself. Facebook, Twitter,

Instagram, and TikTok, to name a few, are easy ways to vent frustration. There are times when sharing experiences with your online community is okay, but if you or someone you love has been injured due to the fault of another person or a company, you want to avoid posting anything online because many claims and cases have been seriously jeopardize, even ruined, as a result of posting on social media. I have personally seen it happen. However, if you cannot help yourself and are going to post online, keep these tips in mind:

Don't Point Fingers Online

You may feel inclined to hop online and openly blast the person or company whose needless carelessness caused your injuries and other harms and losses. I get it. But doing so is a mistake. Doing so can cause you to say too much, or the wrong thing, which could be used against you by the other party's insurance company and/or lawyer. If you're tempted to react or point fingers on social media after being injured due to the fault of another, your best course of action is to stay away from social media until the dispute is resolved.

Don't Post Photos or Videos 

Assuming it is safe and you are physically able, you should take photos and videos of the vehicles involved in a collision, crash, or wreck and of the scene as well. Same goes for the location of injury on property, and of course, your physical injuries. However, you should not post photos or videos of any of that to social media. It is natural to want to share this with your social media friends but anything you post online can be used against you in your claim for compensation. You may not think what you post can hurt you but it may, therefore, err on the side of caution, and do not post photos or videos related to the incident. 

Don't Message the Other Person, Property Owner or Company 

You should always call the police and exchange insurance information at the scene of a vehicle collision, crash, or wreck. Likewise, you should always report an injury on another's property to the owner or manager of the property immediately. However, once you leave the scene, you should not exchange social media messages with the person, property owner/manager or company responsible for your injuries. Those messages, even if well-intended, could lead to oversharing or saying "the wrong thing", which could be used against you. 

Don't Ask for Advice on Social Media

Many people use social media as a public forum, often asking others for advice in various situations. While this may be appropriate in some scenarios, however, you should not ask for advice regarding personal injury claims on social media. Even if your initial question isn't overly detailed, you'll almost always have a commenter who'd like to know more and then you could end up accidentally oversharing details of your case in the comments.  

Don't Forget to Tighten Your Privacy Settings

Remember that if you're tempted to hop online and share your feelings on social media, the other party is likely to have the same instinct. If you haven't already, you should make sure your social media privacy settings are as restricted as possible and that only your trusted friends or family have access to your personal profiles. Even then, the above-advice should be heeded because it is possible that if the claim has to go to court a judge could order that your social media be reviewed by the opposing attorney and you do not want something you posted in the past to come back to hurt your case. 

Speak with a Connecticut Personal Injury Lawyer

I get it. I understand that you need someone to talk to after you or a loved one has been seriously injured due to the fault of another. As your Connecticut personal injury lawyer I will handle all communication with the responsible party and their insurance company or other agents. So, instead of social media, though, speak with me, attorney Jim Miron.  I have helped countless Connecticut injury victims and their families, and I can help you too. Call 203.339.5991, or contact my office online for a no-cost case evaluation. 

Still unsure? Then please watch this short video to learn more about me and my philosophy of the law and how I fight to help people injured due to the fault of another.