Auto Insurance Claims: vehicle, chevy malibu maxx, insurance adjustor

Question
I legally parked my car on a road in front of my in-laws house.  We went inside and my car was later hit my a Tahoe.  The person driving the tahoe left the scene.  A neighbor came to the house and said my car had been hit and the person left.  The cops came and a few seconds later the person that hit my car came running back down the road.  Cop says why did you leave he said I have been drinking.  All in all the person was not drunk enough to get it for drunk driving and the cop said he had 48 hours to report hitting an unattended vehicle so did not get it for that either.  The tahoe was his girlfriends and has no insurance on it.  So my insurance will pay ha ha.  My car in the NADA book is valued at $10,900 and the the insurance adjustor says he can fix it for $5670 which is $250 less because of my deductible.  Everyone I have talked to says it should be totaled.  What can I do.  How long do I have to settle with the insurance co.  I had a Chevy malibu maxx hatchback.  It was hit in the back end and pushed forward into a snowpile approximately 40 feet.  Please help

Answer
Hi Stacey,

When Is A Vehicle A Total Loss?

Most insurance companies will declare a car, light truck, or SUV to be a total loss when the preliminary cost of repairs  reaches some pre-determined percentage of the vehicle's value. Generally, the percentage used is anywhere from 70% to 80%. A total loss is declared when it is determined that it is in the insurance company's best financial interest to declare the vehicle a total loss. This percentage is an insurance industry practice and in most cases is not related to a state law. There are only a few states that require a vehicle be declared a total loss when a certain threshold is met. Most states allow an insurer to repair a vehicle all the way up to 100% of the vehicles value.  Another way insurance companies calculate if a vehicle should be totaled is to determine what they could sell the salvage for and then subtract that figure from the value of the vehicle. If the cost to repair the vehicle exceeds that figure then the vehicle is a total loss.

Based on the information you provided, it does appear that your vehicle is repairable.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh