Ohio police investigate tens of thousands of car crashes every year. So far in 2017, the Ohio State Highway Patrol has investigated over 37,000 crashes.
There is a lot to take care of following a vehicle accident. However, the last thing people should do is give their friends play-by-plays on social media. It is best for both drivers to avoid using social media as much as possible, or it could seriously damage a person’s case.
Other party can use posts
After a car accident, people should not accept any friend requests from people they do not know. They could unknowingly allow the other driver’s attorney to have easy access to all posts and pictures. Even if there are no new friend requests, people should avoid posting information about the crash in general.
As an example, people may feel compelled after a crash to let their friends and family members know they feel fine and are in good health. An attorney from the other party could use that status to suggest the driver did not sustain any substantial injuries. This could severely limit the amount of compensation on the table. It is best for people to keep their personal lives private on social media during this time.
Other party can find violations of court agreements
People should never post anything negative about the other driver on social media at any point of the process. In the event the accident goes to court, it may end with the person needing to sign a non-disclosure agreement. A previous Facebook post could violate the terms of this agreement.
Other party can discover incriminating evidence
In many cases, it is simply preferable to suspend social media accounts until a lawsuit is over. The court could serve a person with paperwork demanding social media profiles, but outside of that, people delete social media accounts all the time. However, the other party may find photos of what the person was doing earlier in the day that could have led to the accident. Play it safe and avoid Facebook, Twitter and everything else if the accident could go to court.
