Oak tree you're in my way

Yep, for those of you who haven't heard, my parent's house in Delhi was indeed hit by a Jeep. Luckily, nobody was hurt (driver and passenger included). The driver and his passenger were both drunk and were arrested at the scene. I don't know where the legal process is at in dealing with this guy. I know that he has been charged but I don't know how my parents will be involved in his prosecution at this point. Considering the cirumstances, the damage could be much worse. The car knocked out two of the front porch supports, a window, lots of brick, several wall studs and the drywall on the inside. An armoir was destroyed and the piano had some minor damage. The car also destroyed some landscaping on its way to our house. My parents are taking this like champs though. They've come to the realization that all of the damage is limited to "stuff" that can all be replaced. I feel genuinely sorry for the 18 year old driver. He's going to be dealing with the consequences of this for a long time. A lot of people have been offering us advice on how to handle this situation when it comes to insurance claims and what not. It's easy to see why people don't trust each other when it comes to compensation via insurance companies. While this accident is plainly this kid's fault and his insurance company should fully compensate my parents, I think showing some grace would go along way in this situation. We had some people telling us to write down our work hours so that we could be compensated four our time. I really can't bring myself to do that. I know that he's not going to be the one that is writing the check in the end. But it seems like I'd be taking advantage of the situation and not showing the proper amount of forgiveness if I was to receive compensation.