Most online calculators make assumptions that don’t match real life—especially in a suburban community like Geneva where collisions may involve commuters, turning traffic, school-area routes, or intersections with complex right-of-way issues.
A typical calculator also can’t account for:
- Illinois fault allocation (comparative responsibility can reduce recovery)
- whether the death is medically tied to the incident (causation evidence)
- the defendant’s insurance coverage and policy limits
- what witnesses, reports, and records exist locally (and whether they were preserved)
That’s why a calculator should be treated as a starting point—not a prediction.


