Most online calculators use broad inputs—age, income, dependents, and a damage “multiplier.” That can be helpful for rough education, but it can also be misleading when:
- Fault is disputed. In serious injury and fatal crash cases, liability can hinge on traffic control, lane positioning, speed, and witness reliability.
- Causation is complex. Sometimes the death is connected to the incident through medical complications, pre-existing conditions, or delayed deterioration.
- Evidence got lost early. In the first days after a fatal event, key evidence may be moved, overwritten, or not preserved.
- Insurance limits matter. Even strong cases are constrained by what coverage is available and how insurers value risk.
A calculator can’t see those issues. A lawyer can.


