A crash on I-295, Forest Avenue, or a Munjoy Hill side street can turn your life upside down in seconds, and a Portland car accident lawyer from Altman Nussbaum Shunnarah Trial Attorneys takes the fight off your shoulders. Our trial attorneys have recovered more than $1 billion for injured clients, and we did it by refusing lowball offers and preparing every case for the courtroom.
The insurance company already has adjusters and defense lawyers working to shrink your claim. You should have fighters working to grow it.
Call (205) 323-1000 today for a free consultation. You pay nothing unless we recover for you.
Do You Need a Portland Car Accident Lawyer After a Crash?
Yes, if you were seriously hurt, if fault is disputed, or if an insurance company is pressuring you to settle fast, you need a Portland car accident lawyer in your corner. Insurers make money by paying out as little as possible, and they know an unrepresented crash victim rarely knows what a claim is truly worth.
Maine is a fault state, which means the driver who caused your crash is responsible for paying your losses. That sounds simple until the at-fault driver's insurer starts questioning your injuries, your treatment, and your version of events. While you are still sorting out appointments and paperwork, their team is building a file against you.
We level the field. Our attorneys gather crash reports, witness statements, camera footage, and medical records, then we put a real number on your claim and fight for it. When insurers see a firm that actually tries cases, the conversation changes.
How Long Do You Have to File a Car Accident Claim in Maine?
You generally have six years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit in Maine under 14 M.R.S. § 752. That is one of the longest filing windows in the country, but do not let it lull you into waiting.
Two things happen fast after a Portland crash. Skid marks fade, vehicles get repaired or scrapped, and surveillance video from businesses along Congress Street or Washington Avenue gets recorded over in days. At the same time, the insurance company starts locking in statements and shaping the story before you ever hire a lawyer.
There are also shorter deadlines hiding inside the six-year rule. Wrongful death claims run three years from the date of death, and a claim against a city, town, or state agency requires written notice within 365 days under 14 M.R.S. § 8107, which is how a plow truck case dies before anyone files it. The sooner we start, the stronger your case gets.
What If the Insurance Company Blames You for the Crash?
Do not panic, because partial blame does not automatically kill a Maine injury claim. Under Maine's comparative negligence law, 14 M.R.S. § 156, you can still recover compensation as long as your share of fault is less than the other side's. If a jury finds you equally at fault or more at fault than the other driver, you recover nothing.
That rule is exactly why adjusters work so hard to pin blame on you. Maine does not apply a straight percentage cut: the jury finds your full damages, then reduces them by whatever dollar amount it considers just and equitable, and reaching the halfway mark wipes out the claim entirely. Expect them to comb through your statements, your social media, and your medical history looking for ammunition.
We push back hard. Our team reconstructs the crash with police reports, black box data, scene photos, and witness testimony to put fault where it belongs. When an insurer tries to blame our client for a rear-end collision at Morrill's Corner or a left-turn crash on Brighton Avenue, we make them prove it, and we make them regret trying.
Maine Insurance Rules Every Portland Driver Should Know
Maine requires some of the strongest minimum auto coverage in the nation, and knowing what applies to your crash matters. Every Maine policy must include at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per crash in bodily injury liability, plus $25,000 in property damage coverage.
Maine drivers also carry protection that many other states skip. These coverages can become lifelines after a serious wreck:
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, required by 24-A M.R.S. § 2902, which steps in when the at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough
- Medical payments coverage of at least $2,000 per person under 29-A M.R.S. § 1605-A, which pays early medical bills no matter who caused the crash
- Optional collision and comprehensive coverage that handles damage to your own vehicle
Here is the problem: minimum limits disappear quickly when a crash causes serious injury or results in months away from work. Our attorneys dig into every available policy, including umbrella coverage and commercial policies, because finding more coverage often means recovering far more for you.
Compensation Our Portland Car Accident Attorneys Pursue
We fight for every dollar your crash has cost you, and every dollar it will cost you down the road. Insurance companies love to pay today's bills and ignore next year's, so we build claims that account for the full picture.
Depending on your case, that can include:
- Past and future medical bills, including the care you have not needed yet
- Lost wages and reduced earning capacity if your injuries keep you from your job on the waterfront, at the Old Port shops, or anywhere else you earn a living
- Pain and suffering from the physical toll of your injuries
- Emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and the strain your injuries put on your family
- Property damage, including repair or replacement of your vehicle
- Punitive damages, which punish a defendant rather than compensate you, are awarded in the rare Maine cases where clear and convincing evidence shows actual malice rather than recklessness
No two claims look alike, and anyone promising a specific number before doing the work is guessing. What we can tell you is that we have recovered over $1 billion by refusing to let insurers define what a case is worth.
Common Causes of Portland Car Accidents We Take On
Portland's mix of commuter traffic, tourist crowds, and harsh winters creates real danger on the road. Summer visitors packing the Old Port and Commercial Street share narrow streets with delivery trucks, while winter ice turns I-295 and the Casco Bay Bridge into skating rinks.
Our firm handles crashes caused by:
- Distracted drivers texting on the Franklin Street arterial
- Speeding and aggressive driving on I-95, I-295, and Route 1
- Drunk and impaired drivers leaving bars and restaurants downtown
- Winter weather crashes where drivers fail to slow for ice and snow
- Red light and stop sign violations at busy crossings like Woodfords Corner
- Commercial truck and delivery vehicle wrecks near the Maine Mall corridor and the port
These crashes not only hurt drivers. Pedestrians crossing Congress Street and cyclists on the Back Cove Trail face the same negligent drivers with none of the protection, and their injuries are often far worse.
Whatever caused your crash, the legal question is the same: someone made a choice that put you in a hospital bed. We hold them accountable for it.
Why Portland Crash Victims Choose Our Firm
The insurance company will have a team of professionals working on your claim from day one. You should, too. When you hire our firm, you get trial attorneys who have recovered more than $1 billion and helped over 100,000 clients hold negligent parties accountable.
Results may vary. Prior case outcomes do not guarantee similar results.
Here is what sets us apart:
- We prepare every case for trial, and insurers know it, which drives settlement offers up
- We front all case costs, and you pay nothing unless we win
- We are available 24/7, because crashes do not keep business hours
- We know how claims move through Cumberland County courts, and we prepare every one as if it is headed to trial there
Plenty of firms settle fast and move on. We go the distance, whether that means hardball negotiations or a verdict at the courthouse on Newbury Street. Call (205) 323-1000 and put real fighters on your claim today.
What Should You Do After a Car Accident in Portland, Maine?
Protect your health first, then protect your claim, because the insurance company starts working against you immediately. The steps you take in the first hours and days can add or subtract thousands of dollars from your recovery.
If you are able, do the following:
- Call 911 and report the crash. Maine law, 29-A M.R.S. § 2251, requires reporting crashes involving injury, death, or significant property damage.
- Get medical care right away, even if you feel okay, since a gap between the crash and your first visit is the first thing an insurer will use to argue you were not really hurt.
- Photograph the vehicles, the scene, road conditions, and your visible injuries.
- Collect names and contact information for the other driver and any witnesses.
- Say nothing about fault, and do not give the other insurer a recorded statement.
- Call a Portland car accident lawyer before you sign anything or accept any offer.
Every one of these steps builds evidence that the insurer cannot argue away. The one step that ties them all together is getting a fighter on your side early.
FAQs: Portland Car Accident Lawyer
Portland crash victims ask us these questions every week, and straight answers matter when an insurer is pressuring you. Here is what you should know.
How much does a Portland car accident lawyer cost?
Nothing upfront, ever. Our firm works on contingency, which means we front the costs of investigating and litigating your case, and our fee comes out of the recovery we win for you. If we do not recover money for you, you owe us no attorney's fee.
That structure lets a working family in Libbytown take on a billion-dollar insurer without writing a single check. It also means our interests line up with yours, because we only get paid when you do.
What is my Portland car accident case worth?
It depends on your medical bills, your future treatment needs, your lost income, the severity and permanence of your injuries, and the insurance coverage available. Any lawyer who quotes you a number in the first phone call is telling you what you want to hear. We investigate first, then we value your claim based on evidence, and then we fight until the offer matches it.
What happens if I am hit by an uninsured driver?
You likely still have a path to compensation through the uninsured motorist coverage in your own policy, which Maine requires every driver to carry. Your own insurer steps into the shoes of the driver who hit you, and here is the part people miss: your insurer becomes your adversary in that claim. We treat uninsured motorist claims like any other fight, with full investigation and trial preparation.
Should I give the insurance adjuster a recorded statement?
No, not before talking to a lawyer. Adjusters are trained to ask questions that produce sound bites they can twist later, like getting you to say you feel fine two days after a crash.
You are generally not required to give the at-fault driver's insurer a recorded statement at all. Let us handle those conversations so nothing you say gets used to shrink your claim.
How long will my case take?
It varies from a few months for straightforward claims to well over a year for serious injury cases that head toward trial. Rushing usually means leaving money on the table, because your case should not settle until the full scope of your injuries is clear. We move every case as fast as strength allows, and we keep you informed at every stage.
Will my case go to trial?
Most car accident cases settle, but the strongest settlements come from firms that insurers know will actually try a case. We prepare every claim as if a Cumberland County jury will decide it. If the insurance company refuses to offer what your case is worth, we will not hesitate to walk into the courtroom and make our argument to a Maine jury of eight or nine.
The Insurance Company Has a Team. Now You Can Too.
Somewhere right now, an adjuster is calculating how little they can pay you and still close your file. Our answer to that math is simple: over $1 billion recovered, 100,000+ clients served, and a trial team that never backs down.
Your consultation is free; we are available 24/7, and you pay nothing unless we win. Call (205) 323-1000 or contact us online today, and let a Portland car accident lawyer start fighting while the evidence is still fresh.