Online tools may ask for age, earnings, and dependents and then spit out a range. That can be a starting point, but it rarely captures what matters most in real cases, including:
- How fault is likely to be allocated (especially in busy commuting corridors where multiple factors can be alleged)
- How causation is proven (medical records, timelines, and expert review when the cause of death is disputed)
- What evidence is actually available after the incident (camera footage, maintenance logs, witness memory)
- Whether comparative fault reduces recovery under California law
In other words, a calculator may provide numbers—but your evidence determines the outcome.


