Advice needed for 2 claims on my Honda Civic - hail damage and a hit & run

Insurance Forum Auto Insurance
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I’m not too experienced with this kind of thing, but I’ve tried to include all the details that might be helpful. Any advice is welcome!

Incident #1: Hail Damage - Earlier this year, my 2013 Honda Civic (225,000 miles) got hit with heavy hail. My insurance (State Farm) gave me the option to get an estimate at a body shop I choose, and they’ll reimburse me based on that. I think just the hail damage alone could total the car.

  • Question #1a - State Farm also offered to let me take photos/videos of the hail damage and submit them myself for a payout estimate. Is that worth trying, or would they likely give me a lower amount this way?
  • Question #1b - I’m in the Dallas, Texas area. Any advice on what type of shop I should choose to get a higher estimate and possibly a better payout from State Farm? And if it does end up being totaled, would it matter much?
  • Question #1c - My car runs great even with the hail damage. If they do decide to total it, will State Farm take the car, or will they let me keep it and give me the payout minus the salvage value? How much could I expect considering the car’s age and mileage?

Incident #2: Hit and Run - Just recently, a luxury SUV side-swiped us and then took off. We filed a police report and plan to press charges. There were cameras around, so I’m hoping they’ll find the person.

  • Question #2a - Since I already have an open hail claim that might total my car, is it a good idea to tell my State Farm agent about this hit and run? Or could that affect my hail claim? Should I only go after the hit and run driver’s insurance if they’re identified?
  • Question #2b - Here’s a bit of wishful thinking: is there any way State Farm could total the car for hail damage and pay me its value ($5,000-$7,000 estimate) and then the hit and run driver’s insurance could also total it for the wreck and pay me again? Or am I just dreaming?

TLDR: I had hail damage earlier this year and then got into a hit and run recently. What’s the best way to get the maximum payout from my insurance (for hail) and possibly from the other driver’s insurance (for the wreck) if they’re found?

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Is this an option I should consider, or will they just lowball me?

Photo estimates are an option for most claims, but hail damage can be tough to document with just photos. You’ll only be able to show visible damage, which might not capture everything. Specialized shops often have tools and lighting that help them show the full extent of the damage. So, it’s not really a lowball; it’s just based on the photos you provide. If you go this route, take photos at noon on a sunny day to get the best lighting.

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@Sam
Thank you so much!

So maybe the ideal outcome would look like this…
State Farm doesn’t total it for hail but pays out a decent amount ($4,000-$5,000)…
Then, the hit & run driver’s insurance pays around the same amount ($4,000-$5,000)…

Would this let me get more than if it was just totaled? Is that outcome even possible?

It just seems strange to me that the hit and run driver wouldn’t owe anything for hitting our car, simply because it was totaled by my insurance. Maybe that’s where taking them to court comes in?

Sorry if that’s a silly question.

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@Kade
The hit and run driver’s insurance wouldn’t owe anything if your car was already totaled for the hail damage. If the hail is repairable but the hit and run totals it, then State Farm would cover the hail repairs, and the other driver’s insurance would cover the total loss.

The scenario you described could happen if the hail doesn’t total it and the other driver’s insurance then totals it. Going to court wouldn’t be worth it if your insurance totals it for the hail.

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@Kade
If there’s prior damage like the hail that wasn’t repaired, the estimate for the hit and run would likely be reduced by the hail damage amount. For example, if the total damage is $5k and the hail damage was $4k, you might only get $1k for the hit and run.