Personal Injury Lawyers in Maine

Maine runs on a different clock than most of the country. Where a lot of states give injury victims two or three years to sue, Maine allows six — a cushion that can matter enormously when a slow recovery or a stubborn insurer stretches a claim out for months. That length of time doesn’t make the underlying rules any less important, though, and the fault standard in particular can end a claim outright if it isn’t understood early.

Six Years Is Long, But Don’t Waste It

Under 14 M.R.S. § 752, most personal injury claims in Maine — car and truck crashes, slip and falls, dog bites, product injuries — must be filed within six years of the date of injury. Wrongful death claims run on a much shorter two-year clock from the date of death. A handful of categories, including some medical and legal malpractice claims, can instead run from the date the harm was or reasonably should have been discovered.

The long window is a genuine advantage, but evidence doesn’t wait six years to disappear. Skid marks fade, security footage gets overwritten within weeks, and witnesses move away or forget details. Treating the six-year deadline as a reason to delay talking to a lawyer usually costs more than it saves.

Modified Comparative Fault: The 50% Line

Maine uses modified comparative fault under 14 M.R.S. § 156. A claimant can recover damages reduced by their own percentage of fault, as long as that percentage stays under 50%. Someone found 40% responsible for a crash that caused $50,000 in damages would recover $30,000. But if a jury finds the claimant 50% or more at fault, the claim is barred completely — there is no partial recovery past that line.

That single threshold shapes how insurers approach nearly every claim in the state. Adjusters look for any basis to push a claimant’s share of fault toward or past 50%, since doing so eliminates the payout rather than just reducing it. Early, thorough documentation — photos, witness contact information, and a written account while memory is fresh — is the most effective counter to that strategy.

What Maine Does and Does Not Cap

Standard personal injury cases in Maine carry no cap on compensatory damages. Medical expenses, future care costs, lost income, and pain and suffering are all decided on the specific evidence in the case.

Wrongful death claims work differently. Under 18-C M.R.S. § 2-807, non-economic damages in a wrongful death case are capped at $1,000,000, a figure that adjusts for inflation each year, and punitive damages are capped at $500,000. Economic damages in a wrongful death claim — medical bills before death, funeral costs, and lost financial support — are not subject to that cap.

Maine Is an At-Fault Insurance State

• No PIP-first system. Maine drivers file claims against the at-fault party’s insurer rather than routing routine injury costs through their own policy first, unlike no-fault states.
• Minimum coverage is 50/100/25. Drivers must carry at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident in bodily injury liability, plus $25,000 in property damage coverage.
• Uninsured motorist coverage is mandatory. Insurers must include UM/UIM coverage at the same limits, which becomes the primary source of recovery when the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured.
• Joint and several liability applies. When more than one defendant is at fault, an injured party can generally collect the full judgment from any one of them.

How a Maine Injury Claim Typically Unfolds

The early stage is about documentation: get treatment and stay consistent with it, since gaps in care are a common target for insurers trying to argue an injury wasn’t serious. Request the police or incident report, photograph the scene and the injuries as they heal, and get contact information for anyone who witnessed what happened.

Most Maine personal injury attorneys offer a free initial consultation and work on contingency, meaning there’s no fee unless the case results in a recovery. After being retained, an attorney typically gathers medical records, waits until the injury has stabilized enough to value the claim accurately, and sends a demand to the insurer. Many claims resolve at that stage; those that don’t can be filed in court well within the six-year window, followed by discovery and, in some cases, trial.

Finding the Right Lawyer for Your Case

The Lawyer Atlas is a directory, not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice about your specific situation. Look for an attorney who regularly handles your type of claim, practices in the county where your case would be filed, and gives you a straight answer about what the case is realistically worth. Ask about trial experience, who will manage your file day to day, and how costs are handled at the end of the case.

Browse the Maine city pages above to reach attorneys serving Augusta and the surrounding communities.