Texas’ most populous county, Harris County, had 113,525 car crashes in 2019 and with the continous growth of the City of Houston, car accidents will be an equally growing occurrence.
Car collisions can be overwhelming for even the best of drivers. Many times, adrenaline takes over leaving a car crash victim with the potential of damaging their personal injury claim before it even starts.
Because the Houston car accident attorneys at Johnson Garcia LLP care about preserving the rights of drivers in and around the state of Texas, we’ve provided some helpful tips for things you shouldn’t say after you have been in a car accident:
1. Don’t say phrases that admit fault
Don’t use any words or phrases that make you sound guilty for the accident. For example, you should never use these phrases:
- “I’m sorry”
- “It’s all my fault”
- “I turned too early”
- “I didn’t see the stop sign”
- “I wasn’t paying attention to the light”
- “I was talking on the phone”
- “I’m not wearing my glasses or contacts”
Believe it or not, these apologetic statements may be used against you as you progress through your claim either by an insurance company or even a defense attorney. These phrases will only assist the insurance company in trying to get out of paying for your damages caused by the accident.
Even if you feel guilty and internally blame yourself for the accident, do not admit it. Keep in mind that you do not have the entire facts of the car crash, so you should not provide any emotional statements or information that can negatively affect the outcome of your potential lawsuit.
2. Don’t say anything about the accident on social media
We live in a hyperactive world where people want to share all events that happen to them as they occur, in real time. However, the scene of an accident is not the time to hop on Facebook Live and discuss your injuries with your friends or followers.
Save the social media posts for your birthday party, wedding, and any other non-legal related events.
Do not take selfies at the location of the car wreck and don’t share the names of witnesses or other involved parties. Doing so can be damaging to your car accident lawsuit in the future.
You should never post, tweet, snap, or share any of the following relating to your accident on social media:
- Photos of the accident scene
- Photos of the vehicles
- Injury photos or videos
- Messages regarding your medical treatments and conditions
- Rant sessions and personal arguments about the case or legal process
Even days, weeks or months after the accident, it’s not smart to share photos or videos of you hanging out with your friends like everything is okay.
Social media can ruin an entire car accident case. In fact, if you hire a personal injury attorney, you may be told to stay away from social media after your car accident. Social media profiles and messages, whether private or public, can be retrieved by the opposing party and insurance companies to help them defend themselves against your claims and hurt your case.
3. Don’t say, “I’m not hurt.”
Immediately after an accident, it’s possible you may not feel pain from the impact of the car accident. But that does not mean the pain cannot come later.
You could have hidden injuries after the car accident such as internal bleeding or a traumatic brain injury.
There’s no way to truly know whether you have injuries unless you get evaluated by a medical professional. This is the primary reason why you should never say, “Oh, I’m fine.” Or, “I’m not injured at all.”
Best car accident tip? Keep your lips sealed!
If you think you’ll have a hard time remembering everything you should not say at the scene of a car accident, here’s a good rule of thumb to keep in mind: just keep your lips sealed.
You don’t want to blindly offer evidence for the other driver’s accident case against you. Consider what could happen if a witness hears you apologizing to the other driver and then quotes everything you said to the police or the court.
Injured in a car accident? Don’t talk. Just contact a Houston car accident attorney
You owe it to yourself to keep information regarding your car accident private between yourself and the right Houston car accident lawyer. Don’t risk starting your case off on the wrong foot by saying all the wrong things.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident in the City of Houston or while traveling the Great State of Texas, don’t admit fault, don’t get on Facebook, and don’t say you’re not injured.
Simply contact a Houston car accident attorney at Johnson Garcia LLP available 24/7 at (832) 844-6700 for a free consultation. Allow our personal injury lawyers to speak directly to insurance companies and third parties for you, negotiate a fair insurance settlement, and guide you through the legal process, every step of the way.
