You may have as little as days to save key evidence, and generally 3 years to file a Massachusetts injury lawsuit.

1. Yes, because the easiest evidence disappears first. A lot of parents assume a child injury claim is "small" and not worth the hassle. That is how good cases get weakened. In a Cambridge school-zone crash, the fastest-lost evidence is often surveillance video, bus camera footage, nearby store footage, and dashcam clips that auto-delete in days or weeks.

If the crash happened near a school, bus stop, crosswalk, or parking lot during back-to-school traffic, ask for preservation right away from the school, nearby businesses, and any driver involved.

2. Photos matter more than people think. Take pictures of the crosswalk, signals, bus stop, skid marks, vehicle damage, your child's clothing, backpack, helmet, and visible injuries. Photograph the area at the same time of day if you can. In Cambridge, traffic patterns around schools can change quickly, and what looked obvious that morning may be gone by afternoon.

3. Get the official records early. Request the Cambridge Police Department crash report if police responded. If emergency care was involved, save EMS records, urgent care paperwork, discharge papers, and every bill. Keep a simple log of pain, missed school, sleep problems, fear of walking near traffic, and activity limits.

Massachusetts has no cap on non-economic damages in most injury cases, so those day-to-day effects can matter.

4. Witnesses and phone data can make or break fault. Do not rely on memory. Get names, numbers, and short written statements from witnesses now. If a driver was looking down, cell phone records may matter later. So can pickup-dropoff timestamps, school dismissal times, and app-based navigation data.

5. It can be worth it even when insurance looks low. Massachusetts minimum auto limits are only 20/40/5, which is low. People hear that and think, "Not worth pursuing." Wrong. There may be other coverage, and serious child injuries often justify preserving evidence first and sorting insurance second.