The biggest money-loser is waiting because your child "seems okay." In Maine, that delay lets insurers argue the injury was minor, unrelated, or caused later, especially after a holiday-weekend crash when traffic, alcohol, and chaotic scenes make facts harder to pin down.

In the next 24 hours: get your child evaluated and make sure the visit clearly ties the symptoms to the crash. If there is facial pain, double vision, vomiting, headache, or swelling around the eye, push for prompt imaging because an orbital fracture or head injury can be missed at first. Save photos of the car, seat position, bruising, glass, and airbags. Write down where the crash happened in Augusta, who was driving, and any witnesses.

If police did not take a report, Maine drivers must generally file a crash report with the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles within 10 days when there is injury, death, or apparent property damage of $1,000 or more. Do not assume the other driver's insurer will "handle it."

In the next week: get the crash report number from the responding agency, often Augusta Police Department or Maine State Police depending on where it happened. Ask every provider for records showing the child's complaints started after the crash. Keep every receipt: prescriptions, mileage to appointments, glasses, urgent care, missed childcare, and your lost work time.

This is also when surveillance or dashcam evidence disappears. Holiday weekend footage from gas stations or nearby businesses may be overwritten fast.

In the next month: follow up on every recommended appointment. Gaps in treatment are one of the easiest ways insurers discount a child's claim. Keep a simple symptom log: sleep changes, headaches, school issues, light sensitivity, anxiety in the car.

Maine's general injury deadline is often 6 years, but that does not mean waiting is safe. Delay weakens proof long before the legal deadline does.