Alfred, Maine

Alfred is a classic New England town in Maine with a population of 3019. Located in York County, Alfred was once the site of a Shaker community. It has a total area of 27.92 square miles, a portion of which is water. Over a thousand households in Alfred have children under the age of 18. If you and your children are involved in a car accident caused by somebody else, you should retain an experienced car accident attorney to recover compensation for any injuries you've suffered.

When your child is hurt in a car accident due to somebody else's negligence, it can be difficult to process your emotions. Among the more common emotions are anger and fear. The full impact of the injury may not be apparent right away. As the child's guardian, you may be able to bring a negligence case against the other driver. In order to prevail on such a claim, you will need to prove (1) the defendant owed your child a duty, (2) the defendant breached the duty, (3) the breach actually and proximately caused your child's injuries, and (4) actual damages.

The defendant's liability may depend in part on the foreseeability of the injury. A defendant driver may be able to avoid liability altogether for a child's injury if the driver's negligent actions did not "proximately" cause the child's injuries. Proximate cause is different from actual causation; it is conduct that is a direct, immediate and legal cause of an injury.

For example, consider a hypothetical in which a motorcyclist's conduct has caused a traffic jam five miles away on the freeway and as a result your car is stuck for twenty minutes in a long line of cars and is rear-ended by a bus driver that does not anticipate the traffic jam. The proximate cause of any resulting injuries is more likely to be the bus driver's failure to anticipate the traffic jam than the motorcyclist's conduct in causing a traffic jam. The motorcyclist's actions may be considered too remote to be a proximate cause.

Like an adult's injuries, a child's injuries may not be immediately apparent after an accident. However, you should immediately seek treatment for your child after a car accident. You may be able to sue the at-fault driver to recover the costs of past, present and future, medical care, out-of-pocket costs, emotional injuries, pain and suffering and more, depending on the circumstances. If your child is permanently injured or disfigured or permanently unable to enjoy a particular activity you can also recover those damages as well.

Life can seem cruel if your child is hurt. We understand how painful this experience is and will work to determine liability and build a strong case for your child to receive full compensation for his or her injuries. There is a six-year statute of limitations for personal injuries in Maine. However, the other side's insurers will probably start investigating right away, and they do not owe you a duty to uncover any evidence that would help your case. In order to avoid giving the other side too much of an advantage, you should contact an experienced Maine car accident lawyer as soon as you are aware your child has suffered injuries caused by someone else. Contact Peter Thompson & Associates at 1.800.804.2004 or via our online form for a free consultation.