Two inspections in one week changed my mind about older trees

I spent last Thursday on a 60 foot white oak in DeKalb that looked fine from the road, but the crown had included bark on three main leads. I argued with the homeowner for 20 minutes about removal versus cabling, and I left feeling pretty stubborn. Then on Saturday, a maple on the same street came down on its own, no warning, and the root plate was mostly decayed. That second call made me rethink how I assess veteran trees, especially ones with heavy canopies. Now I look for soil movement and buttress cracks first, not just deadwood. Has anyone else had a bad incident that changed their inspection checklist for good?