Orinda’s commute culture means fatal incidents can involve more variables than a generic model can handle—such as speed, visibility, road design, traffic control, and how quickly emergency response and documentation occurred.
AI tools usually rely on broad inputs (age, relationship, medical bills, wages) and then produce a “range.” In practice, two cases with similar financial losses can resolve very differently depending on:
- Who was actually at fault based on evidence (not assumptions)
- Whether causation is clear when injuries worsen after the incident
- How insurance coverage is structured (and what defenses are likely)
- What documentation exists early (and what was lost or never collected)
In other words: the number isn’t the problem. The missing facts are.


