Walls and Ceilings - Drunk driver and our home

Had a drunk driver crash into our century home. She came into the corner of our bedroom at probably 40 mph. Broke studs, windows and sent cracks throughout walls on the first and second floors. Shifted the foundation about an inch. My question is, when adjuster comes our and surveys damage, how much can we expect to have them repair? Is it structurally significant to have so many walls shifted? Will insurance company pay to repair walls, or simply mud over cracks? Could it have sent damage to roof?

Any experience or insight would be appreciated!

Who's adjuster is it? Yours or the drivers? If it's theirs, I would try to be there when the inspection is done. I would THINK that with the foundation being moved, it would take a structural engineer to appraise the damages. Ask questions. You have to live there and you want it fixed correctly. Good luck.

I wouldn't think it would matter who's insurance, they are supposed to put it back to the condition before the accident. Since this doesn't always happen be sure to ask plenty of questions [maybe hire your own inspector] so you can be reasonably assured it is done right.

Exactly, and don't take a cash settlement. That's the first thing they will offer you. It will sound tempting. Darn, what I could do with $15,000!! The damage could have been structural and cost $50,000 to fix correctly, and it will have to be correct in order to sell it.

And you've notified YOUR homeowner's insurance company, right? Even though the driver's insurance will be on the hook for the damages, I would think your homeowner's insurer will want to make sure it is properly repaired since they could have to shell out sometime in the future if there is a problem with shoddy or incomplete repairs.

Might want to make sure the District Attorney gets a copy of the damage estimate in relation to the dui case.

If you have a mortgage, don't forget to notify the lender. They also have a stake in the repairs. They may also want to get involved in the inspection and the legal aspect.

Any damage or condition that is a direct result of the accident should be covered by the insurance. My best advice, when it comes to the other driver or their insurance, don't be a nice guy be an a$$hole. This is your home and there is no one is going to look out for you except you.

You need to think about things like is the house safe, is it habitable? Will I be able to live here during repairs? Do I want to live here during repairs? All of this should be under consideration when the insurance assessment is made. It's not just the damage, you will probably have other expenses.

If the driver's insurance is providing the damage assessment you can be assured they are going to try to get away with paying as little as possible. Get your own expert to make a damage estimate even if you have to hire one, although I would bet that either your mortgage lender or homeowner insurance will be involved.