Minors: the clock waits for 18
Under 14 M.R.S. § 853, the statute of limitations clock for a minor's own injury claim doesn't begin running until the disability of minority ends — generally, when the minor turns 18. From that point, the applicable deadline, typically the general six-year period, starts fresh.
Fraud and concealment: discovery, not injury, starts the clock
If an injury was caused by fraud, or if the person responsible fraudulently concealed the injury from the claimant, Maine applies a special discovery-based rule under 14 M.R.S. § 859: the claimant has six years from the date they actually discover the claim, rather than from the date the underlying injury occurred.
A defendant who leaves Maine
Under 14 M.R.S. § 866, when the defendant is outside of Maine, the statute of limitations clock stops running entirely, resuming only once the defendant is back within the state.
A narrower combination rule for medical malpractice minors
Medical malpractice claims apply a more specific version of the minors' rule: a minor generally has three years from turning 18, or six years from the date of the negligent act or omission, whichever comes sooner. This genuinely narrower combination — capped by the earlier of two different triggers — differs from the more straightforward rule applied to a minor's general injury claim.
What doesn't pause the clock
A genuinely common and costly misunderstanding: actively negotiating a settlement with an insurance company does not toll or pause Maine's filing deadline. Even with Maine's unusually generous six-year window, the clock keeps running the entire time talks are ongoing, regardless of how close the parties seem to a resolution.