By Dale Gribow
Q. Mr. Gribow, I read in an earlier article that you wrote in CV Weekly that if you have been in an accident or received a Drunk Driving you should immediately take down your social media. WHY? Sally F in Indio
A. Facebook, and other social media, allows the insurance company, in an accident case, and the DA on a Drunk Driving to learn about you in minutes. If you are making a claim for an injury from an auto accident that is not your fault and you are complaining about your terrible pain and that you cannot do anything, then what do you think happens when you post a picture of yourself playing golf or tennis a few days after the incident? Those sports would suggest you were able to bend and move…..arguably without pain.
What if you or a friend posts about parties, a surfing weekend or a trip to Hawaii that you were taking? If you were well enough to sit in one place for 5-6 hours on a plane and carry your luggage then how do you explain your complaints to the doctor that you cannot bend and lift or do anything? If you were on a vacation that suggests you were not hurting and did not have to see the doctor on a regular basis.
In the past the insurance companies would hire investigators to do sub rosa investigations by hiding across the street from you and taking pictures of your hauling the trash or putting suitcases into your trunk etc. Previously the insurance companies had to be sneaky and get the victim in the picture showing the damage to their car and right before the adjusert would snap the picture he/she would say bend over point to the damage to your car. Right before they would take the picture they would suddenly say… now SMILE. Thus they would have a picture of you bending and smiling when your complaints are that you cannot do this.
Today insurance companies can save their money and just surf the web. They can contact your friends to inquire about you because it is now easy to find who you know. It becomes easy to find out what you are doing and who you are doing it with….and often that is the kiss of death for your case.
With respect to a DUI the last thing you want to do is post pictures of yourself drinking and partying. I have had clients that post on FB the morning after their arrest that they were bombed out of their mind when they were arrested and that the cop did not find the drugs in between the seats etc. Some clients have been known to brag about their prior DUI’s in another state that the cops did not know about.
Don’t forget that your lawyer is your friend and is just trying to protect you. That is not true of the adjuster or DA who is prosecuting your DUI.
Remember, when you drink don’t “pull a Bieber” and get behind the wheel and have an accident or get arrested for a DUI:
DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE, CALL A TAXI………IT IS A LOT CHEAPER THAN HIRING ME!
Dale Gribow has been “Rated” TOP LAWYER by Palm Springs Life Magazine from 2011-2014 and has a Superb AVVO Legal Rating by his fellow attorneys. Dale Gribow has been Man of the Year 7 times, including the City of Palm Desert and the City of Hope and Dale Gribow Day has been declared 4 times. He is the only attorney appointed in December 2013 to the Coachella Valley Association of Government’s Public Safety Ad Hoc Blue Ribbon Committee addressing Drunk Driving. This group consists of the police chiefs from every city and the mayor of each city as well as the Sheriff of Riverside County and the head of the CHP and Border Patrol. In addition, Gribow is the only attorney asked to be part of the Clinton Foundation’s Clinton Health Matters Committee addressing Drunk Driving. Gribow is also one of the founders of Shutdown Drunk Driving formed upon the death of his client who was killed by a drunk driver while jogging recently.
If you have any questions regarding this column or ideas for future columns, please contact Dale Gribow Attorney at Law at his NEW number 760 837 7500 and or his new email: dale@dalegribowlaw.com
