We got told “no.” We didn’t stop there.

A drunk driver, a totaled truck, and a lowball offer. We ended up with over $30,000 more.

1. What happened

   A drunk driver hit our truck

   The other driver was under the influence, and our truck was declared a total loss. [Add a line on what happened and what made it hard, without names or dates.]

2. What the insurer said

   The lowball

   “This is your truck’s value if it’s totaled. Take it or leave it.”

   [Add anything else you were told, and which insurer said it: yours or the other driver’s.]

3. Pushing back

   OEM parts and the take-it-or-leave-it value

   They also told us “we won’t use OEM parts.” We read the policy language on parts, asked them in writing to show how they got their number, and sent our own comparable vehicles, options, and condition records. [Add what finally moved them.] Result: $10,000 more than their value.

4. Building our own documentation

   No paid diminished-value appraiser

   Instead of paying an appraiser, we built the file ourselves: repair records, photos, comparable listings, receipts, a dated log of every call and letter, and a clear written summary of the loss. [Add or remove items to match what you actually used.]

5. The restitution process

   Asking the court to make it right

   Because it was a DUI case, we could request restitution from the at-fault driver through the criminal case. [Add how you requested it, e.g. through the prosecutor’s victim services, and what the hearing or decision was like.] We submitted our documentation and recovered $21,000.

6. Outcome

   Over $30,000 more than we were originally told

   $10,000 more on the totaled truck plus $21,000 in restitution, all without a lawyer. We researched the process, built our own documentation, and figured it out.

Our own case, shared as an example, not a promise of results. Every claim is different. Sometimes you do need a lawyer, and we’ll tell you when.