Maine injury rights, deadlines, and help

You are dealing with a lot right now. This page can help. If you were hurt in Maine, you probably have one big question: how long do I have to act, and what should I do first?

Are you in an emergency right now?

• Check yourself and others for injuries, breathing, and bleeding.
• Call 911 if anyone is hurt or the road is not safe.
• Get somewhere safe if you can do it safely.
• Get medical care even if you feel fine. Some injuries hide for days.
• This page is for after you are safe.

This page covers Maine injury deadlines and what to do right now. Maine's main lawsuit deadline is 6 years, one of the longest in the country, but shorter clocks hide underneath it for work injuries and government claims. We are the injured person's advocate. We connect you with a lawyer who handles cases like yours, so you get the full settlement your recovery deserves. Always free. Talk to an advocate. We usually reply within minutes, at most one business day.

The deadlines that matter in Maine

• Personal injury lawsuit: 6 years. Maine's statute of limitations (the legal deadline to file a lawsuit) for most civil injury cases is 6 years. Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, sec. 752. Official text
• Work injury, tell your employer: 60 days. For injuries on or after January 1, 2020, you must give notice within 60 days. Older injuries had different windows (30 days for 2013 to 2019 injuries, 90 days before 2013). Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 39-A, sec. 301. Official text
• Work injury, formal claim: 2 years. File your petition within 2 years after the injury, or after your employer's first report of the injury, whichever is later. If benefits were paid, you get 6 years from the most recent payment. Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 39-A, sec. 306. Official text
• Claim against the government: written notice within 365 days. Under the Maine Tort Claims Act, claims against the state, a city, a town, or a school unit need a written notice within 365 days. For state claims, the notice goes to the agency involved and the Attorney General. The lawsuit itself must be filed within 2 years, not 6. Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, sec. 8107. Official text

Warning: don't wait! Maine's 6-year lawsuit clock is a trap in disguise. The 60-day work notice and the 365-day government notice run far faster, so people relax, and waiting kills cases. The longer you wait, the fuzzier memories get and documents get lost. Collect and save what you can, then talk to an advocate immediately. And important: medical claims have different, shorter deadlines. Do not assume the standard rule covers a hospital or doctor case. Minors and some other people may get extra time. Laws change, so treat these as starting points, not legal advice for your exact case.

Protect your case

1. Talk to an advocate at WeHelpInjured. It is free.
2. Report the injury in writing. Work injury: tell your employer in writing today, even though the law allows 60 days. Crash: call the police and get the report number. Fall or dog bite: tell the property owner or dog owner and keep proof you did.
3. Save everything. Photos of the scene, names of witnesses, receipts, and every letter or text about the incident.
4. Do not let the 6-year rule slow you down. Evidence disappears in weeks, not years. Witnesses move, cameras record over footage, and the short work and government clocks may already be running on your case.

Talk to an advocate. Not sure which deadline applies to you?

Never do these

• Never sign a release or accept a first settlement offer without talking to an advocate first. Once you sign, you may not be able to undo it.
• Never give a recorded statement to an insurance company, even your own. Talk to an advocate first.
• Never let the long 6-year lawsuit clock make you relax. The 60-day work notice and 365-day government notice run much faster.
• Never post about the incident or your recovery on social media. Insurers use these posts against you.

Common situations in Maine

Hurt at work

Maine workers' compensation (the no-fault system that pays for work injuries) uses the 60-day report rule for recent injuries, and the formal petition has its own 2-year clock. If you were hurt years ago and your employer paid benefits, you may still have time, because the clock extends to 6 years from the most recent payment.

Report in writing the same day anyway, and keep a copy.

Hurt on the road

Car, motorcycle, bike, and pedestrian injuries generally fall under the 6-year lawsuit deadline, or 2 years with a 365-day notice if a government vehicle or road agency is involved.

Maine's fault rule is unusual: if the jury finds you equally at fault or more at fault than the other side, you recover nothing, and when you were partly at fault, the jury reduces your damages by what it "thinks just and equitable" rather than a fixed percentage. Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, sec. 156. Official text This gives juries wide room, which makes strong evidence about the other side's fault even more important.

Hurt on someone's property, or by a dog

Slip and fall cases follow the 6-year clock, or the 2-year government clock with its 365-day notice if you fell on public property.

For dog attacks, the location matters: if the dog hurt you away from the owner's property, the owner is liable even without any past sign of danger, and your own fault reduces damages only if it was greater than the owner's. On the owner's property, you generally must show carelessness. Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 7, sec. 3961. Official text

What we can help with

We are not a law firm and we do not charge injured people anything. We are your advocate. Here is what that looks like:

• Explain your rights and the Maine deadlines above in plain language.
• Help you figure out which situation you are in: work injury, road injury, government property, dog bite, or something else.
• Connect you with a lawyer who handles cases like yours, so you get the full settlement your recovery deserves.
• A nearby hospital, lab, or doctor can document your condition, which supports your claim.

Our help is always free to you. We never take money from injured people.

Talk to an advocate. You do not have to figure this out alone. Start the form or open the chat.

Sources

• Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, sec. 752 (6-year statute of limitations): https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/14/title14sec752.html
• Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 39-A, sec. 301 (work injury notice): https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/39-A/title39-Asec301.html
• Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 39-A, sec. 306 (workers' compensation petition deadline): https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/39-A/title39-Asec306.html
• Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, sec. 8107 (Maine Tort Claims Act notice): https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/14/title14sec8107.html
• Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 7, sec. 3961 (dog owner liability): https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/7/title7sec3961.html
• Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, sec. 156 (comparative negligence): https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/14/title14sec156.html

Last reviewed: 2026-08-17

This is general information, not legal advice. Deadlines can change or vary with the facts. A licensed attorney can confirm the rule for your situation.