Like any other life-changing event, you will probably want to talk to your friends, family and co-workers about a serious accident that you have been in and how you are dealing with your injuries and other damages. However, doing so could hurt your personal injury claim if you do not use caution.

Sneaky insurance adjusters will often interview people close to you and monitor the use of social media to find information to use against you out of context. There are some guidelines you should follow to help protect your claim.

When using social media:

• set your privacy settings to the highest degree possible;
• do not accept friend requests from people you do not know;
• do not make comments or post about your accident or injuries; and
• if possible, delete your accounts or stop using them until after you case has been settled.

When talking to friends, family and co-workers:

• do not tell people what you think happened; leave that to your attorney;
• do not boast or speculate about the amount of compensation you may receive; and
• do not disclose too much information about your injuries or how you are being treated for them.

Unfortunately, sharing information about your accident and personal injury claim, even with those you feel you can trust, can come back to hurt you. A long-time tactic of insurance adjusters has been to interview friends, family and co-workers to see if they can find information that could be used against you in an effort to deny your claim or avoid paying you the amount of money you deserve.

Some personal injury cases can take a long time to be resolved, but it is still important to remain aware of what you are saying and doing to give yourself the best chance of winning your case. If you are unsure about saying or doing something, check with your attorney for advice.