Advice needed: Unfortunate occurrance

["aaron_t_graham" <aaron_t_graham@xxxx>]

Sadly, #1506 hit a deer tonight. Headed westbound on I-74, between 
Indianapolis and Urbana-Champaign, a deer struck my D while I was 
going about 65. I was in the right hand lane, and it ran across from 
the median. If you're saying "wow, that's unlucky!" then you don't 
know me very well.

Fortunately, there isn't as much damage as I originally feared. The 
front fascia is in bad shape, as well as the headlights and housings 
on the driver's side. The front driver's side fender has been 
whacked out of shape a little bit, the windshield is smashed, the 
hood is bent slightly in front near the fascia on the left side, and 
the driver's side mirror was ripped clean off. The front grill is 
gone, too.

I didn't immediately see any other problems, other than the fact that 
the car wouldn't start up again. The engine's in pretty good shape, 
the electrical systems seem ok, and it was trying to turn over...

I have some questions, since a lot of people who read this list have 
probably had similar encounters in the past (although probably not 
with their Delorean):

1. Should I get a lawyer? I have progressive insurance, and my car 
is insured for a large amount. They seem pretty helpful. However, 
they *are* an insurance company... I have a clean driving record 
(except for a speeding ticket in Montana in '97 -- stupid 
libertarians!!), and I still pay out the wazoo for insurance. It's 
time for them to finally pay up.

2. How do I go about making sure I get an accurate estimate for 
repairs, and make sure that the insurance company pays the WHOLE bill?

3. Who should I get to do the work? Is this even an option for me, 
or is the insurance company, in their infinite wisdom, going to try 
to set me up somewhere? Should I have the car sent all the way to 
someplace like Houston?

4. Anyone out there have a foggy idea how much a fix like this would 
cost?

5. What other questions should I be asking?

Thanks in advance for your help. Hopefully, 1506 will be an up-and-
running daily driver once again within a month...

Aaron