Something has changed since you started driving. No, not GPS, not mandatory insurance, not even digital clocks. It is social networking. For your teens, it can be the most damaging part of their car wreck case.

Here are my 3 rules. Easy and short since you can only grab a 16-year-old’s attention for so long. Here we go: take pictures, save pictures, DON’T SHARE pictures.

Today, every kid has a phone that takes pictures. (Oh, do I feel like an old man.) If you are in an accident, take some pictures. This will help preserve evidence. Take shots of the people and the cars (license plates) of the witnesses. Of course if you are seriously injured, don’t worry about taking pictures from your gurney. Just know that you will be surprised at how few details the accident report contains. Also as time goes on, you will just forget things.

Then send those pictures somewhere safe. You could lose your phone or erase the images and end up with nothing. I suggest you send them to yourself by e-mail.

Here is my final rule … and the most important. DO NOT share details of your accident on social media. If you want to show your friend the pictures and just add a line like “don’t worry I am fine,” it could cost you thousands of dollars. I know you don’t want your friends to worry, but one little phrase can damage your case permanently.

So if you can grab a minute with the kids this holiday, give them this advice about car wrecks: take pictures, save pictures, DON’T SHARE pictures. Then add one more line – drive safely. It couldn’t hurt.

If you or someone you love is involved in a traffic accident or other personal injury, you can talk to the lawyers at  Eiland and Ritchie in Mobile, AL , for free. We want to help.

You can also talk to us live every Sunday night on  Local 15 LawCall here in Mobile. We will take your legal questions starting at 10:30 PM right after the News.

Have a good Memorial Day and drive safely.

Allen Ritchie
Personal Injury Attorney

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