Do we have to settle for what ins.co.offers us int was ruled other person's fault?

My husband was hit by a truck and state trooper ruled it the truck driver's fault. The owner of the trucking company wanted to pay my husband instead of filing with insurance. We have been advised by several people to not do this. We were told by the garage owner that we took car to have checked out that we should file a claim with the owner's ins. and if they did not offer us enough we had the right to refuse the offer and demand the car be restored back to the condition it was in before the wreck since it was ruled his driver's fault. Our insurance and his insurance are subsidiary companies of the same big insurance company. Our insurance so far has not been very enthusiastic about doing anything. The owner of the truck offered us $1000 for the car. The repairs will be around $2000. We do not have the money to buy another car and this is my husband's means of getting to and from work. The owner did not even ask my husband if he needed something to drive until this was settled.