Not sure if this will help, but here’s my story. Was my first accident, too, so a learning process for me.

I was rear-ended, and there was no dispute about it being the other driver’s fault. Coincidentally, we both use the same insurance company, but we were each told to file a claim, and then two different reps within the company handled it.

My car is a lease, so I was concerned about making sure the dealer would approve of any repairs so I wouldn’t get charged for anything upon lease return. The insurance company sent me to their preferred repair shop, but I also took it to the dealer’s preferred repair shop for another estimate. The insurance carrier said I could choose where I got it repaired even if there’s a difference in cost.

I’d recommend not taking an estimate done from photos, as there can be underlying damage not initially visible. That’s what happened in my case. It looked like a simple fender-bender, but there was actually some frame damage, too, once they dug into it. Also, I had the insurance company pay the repair shop directly rather than me so that if there was any dispute, extra charges, whatever, then they could work it out themselves, and I wouldn’t have to deal with it or be on the hook for anything.

Good luck with it.