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Ideally, you should find someone who repairs carbon composites and who has ultrasound imaging equipment. They can detect delaminations (i.e. invisible fractures under the surface of the carbon) that aren't apparent with the tap test - which may work OK on flat surfaces, but bikes tend not to have many of these. Raoul Luescher, who repairs carbon bikes in Australia, considers the tap test to not be that informative. Some sort of expert testimony would probably be important in establishing that the frame is damaged.

I don't know how prevalent these shops are, but there may be more than you think. For example, in or near(ish) to where I live, a Google search highlights Appleman Bicycles in Minneapolis and Cyclocarbon in Rochester (which is about 2 hours south). You could also ship your frame to someone else in another state. Be aware that Google Maps will show a lot of false positives (usually bike shops). If you find someone with experience in aerospace but not bikes, you might consider approaching them nonetheless. Nevertheless, this type of expertise is specialized. Ordinary bike store mechanics won't be able to do this. Framebuilders specializing in metal frames would be the same.

You should seriously consider approaching a lawyer who specializes in personal injuries. They will be familiar with negotiating with auto insurance companies, and they will know what sort of proof is required to get the company to reimburse you. Typically, you can choose between paying an hourly rate or a contingency fee (usually 30% of the settlement amount). Yes, this is expensive. However, this may not be an area where you want to go it alone.

You could consider seeking some sort of statement from a carbon fiber repairer first, and approaching the company with that. If they detect no damage, I would still count the inspection and shipping as damages you incurred. You could naturally threaten to seek legal representation to encourage the insurer to settle. You might also consider cross-posting to the legal stack exchange.

If you do this, I would make clear to them that:

1. Carbon fiber bikes can take damage from a rear impact that a) isn't visible to the naked eye and b) can cause the frame to fail later. Thus, I would not trust a carbon frame that had taken a rear impact like described - actually, the same might hold of a lot of metal frames.
2. It's not simple to detect this type of invisible damage. It typically requires ultrasound or similar imaging. Almost no bike stores have this expertise. So unfortunately, there may be transaction costs.
3. From the written description, this was a hard hit. This is much worse than a crash while riding. The car made direct contact with the bike frame, plus there was force transmitted through the hit to the wheel. I suspect most performance bike frames would be compromised in some fashion, period.

Overall, my advice is more conservative than I suggested in this answer about what to do if one isn't sure if your carbon bike is safe. Generally, you become unsure if you take some sort of moderate impact or you scrape the carbon a bit. With what happened in the written description, I would tend to assume the bike is unsafe unless proven by inspection (by a qualified person, not an ordinary mechanic at a bike shop who's just going to do a tap test that they may not know how to interpret).

Ideally, you should find someone who repairs carbon composites and who has ultrasound imaging equipment. They can detect delaminations (i.e. invisible fractures under the surface of the carbon) that aren't apparent with the tap test - which may work OK on flat surfaces, but bikes tend not to have many of these. Raoul Luescher, who repairs carbon bikes in Australia, considers the tap test to not be that informative. Some sort of expert testimony would probably be important in establishing that the frame is damaged.

I don't know how prevalent these shops are, but there may be more than you think. For example, in or near(ish) to where I live, a Google search highlights Appleman Bicycles in Minneapolis and Cyclocarbon (which used to be about 2 hours south in Rochester - Google missed the relocation). You could also ship your frame to someone else in another state. Be aware that Google Maps will show a lot of false positives (usually bike shops). If you find someone with experience in aerospace but not bikes, you might consider approaching them nonetheless. Nevertheless, this type of expertise is specialized. Ordinary bike store mechanics won't be able to do this. Framebuilders specializing in metal frames would be the same.

You should seriously consider approaching a lawyer who specializes in personal injuries. They will be familiar with negotiating with auto insurance companies, and they will know what sort of proof is required to get the company to reimburse you. Typically, you can choose between paying an hourly rate or a contingency fee (usually 30% of the settlement amount). Yes, this is expensive. However, this may not be an area where you want to go it alone. Note that a laywer can also help you quantify other monetary damages, e.g. damages related to any injuries you sustained in the incident.

You could consider seeking some sort of statement from a carbon fiber repairer first, and approaching the company with that. If they detect no damage, I would still count the inspection and shipping as damages you incurred. You could naturally threaten to seek legal representation to encourage the insurer to settle. You might also consider cross-posting to the legal stack exchange.

If you do this, I would make clear to them that:

1. Carbon fiber bikes can take damage from a rear impact that a) isn't visible to the naked eye and b) can cause the frame to fail later. Thus, I would not trust a carbon frame that had taken a rear impact like described - actually, the same might hold of a lot of metal frames.
2. It's not simple to detect this type of invisible damage. It typically requires ultrasound or similar imaging. Almost no bike stores have this expertise. So unfortunately, there may be transaction costs.
3. From the written description, this was a hard hit. This is much worse than a crash while riding. The car made direct contact with the bike frame, plus there was force transmitted through the hit to the wheel. I suspect most performance bike frames would be compromised in some fashion, period.

Overall, my advice is more conservative than I suggested in this answer about what to do if one isn't sure if your carbon bike is safe. Generally, you become unsure if you take some sort of moderate impact or you scrape the carbon a bit. With what happened in the written description, I would tend to assume the bike is unsafe unless proven by inspection (by a qualified person, not an ordinary mechanic at a bike shop who's just going to do a tap test that they may not know how to interpret).

Ideally, you should find someone who repairs carbon composites and who has ultrasound imaging equipment. They can detect delaminations (i.e. invisible fractures under the surface of the carbon) that aren't apparent with the tap test - which may work OK on flat surfaces, but bikes tend not to have many of these. Their testimony would probably be important in establishing that the frame is damaged.

I don't know how prevalent these shops are, but there may be more than you think. For example, in or near(ish) to where I live, a Google search highlights Appleman Bicycles in Minneapolis and Cyclocarbon in Rochester (which is about 2 hours south). You could also ship your frame to someone else in another state. Be aware that Google Maps will show a lot of false positives (usually bike shops). If you find someone with experience in aerospace but not bikes, you might consider approaching them nonetheless. Nevertheless, this type of expertise is specialized. Ordinary bike store mechanics won't be able to do this. Framebuilders specializing in metal frames would be the same.

You should seriously consider approaching a lawyer who specializes in personal injuries. They will be familiar with negotiating with auto insurance companies, and they will know what sort of proof is required to get the company to reimburse you. Typically, you can choose between paying an hourly rate or a contingency fee (usually 30% of the settlement amount). Yes, this is expensive. However, this may not be an area where you want to go it alone.

You could consider seeking some sort of statement from a carbon fiber repairer first, and approaching the company with that. If they detect no damage, I would still count the inspection and shipping as damages you incurred. You could naturally threaten to seek legal representation to encourage the insurer to settle. You might also consider cross-posting to the legal stack exchange.

If you do this, I would make clear to them that:

1. Carbon fiber bikes can take damage from a rear impact that a) isn't visible to the naked eye and b) can cause the frame to fail later. Thus, I would not trust a carbon frame that had taken a rear impact like described - actually, the same might hold of a lot of metal frames.
2. It's not simple to detect this type of invisible damage. It typically requires ultrasound or similar imaging. Almost no bike stores have this expertise. So unfortunately, there may be transaction costs.
3. From the written description, this was a hard hit. This is much worse than a crash while riding. The car made direct contact with the bike frame, plus there was force transmitted through the hit to the wheel. I suspect most performance bike frames would be compromised in some fashion, period.

Overall, my advice is more conservative than I suggested in this answer about what to do if one isn't sure if your carbon bike is safe. Generally, you become unsure if you take some sort of moderate impact or you scrape the carbon a bit. With what happened in the written description, I would tend to assume the bike is unsafe unless proven by inspection (by a qualified person, not an ordinary mechanic at a bike shop who's just going to do a tap test that they may not know how to interpret).

Ideally, you should find someone who repairs carbon composites and who has ultrasound imaging equipment. They can detect delaminations (i.e. invisible fractures under the surface of the carbon) that aren't apparent with the tap test - which may work OK on flat surfaces, but bikes tend not to have many of these. Raoul Luescher, who repairs carbon bikes in Australia, considers the tap test to not be that informative. Some sort of expert testimony would probably be important in establishing that the frame is damaged.

I don't know how prevalent these shops are, but there may be more than you think. For example, in or near(ish) to where I live, a Google search highlights Appleman Bicycles in Minneapolis and Cyclocarbon in Rochester (which is about 2 hours south). You could also ship your frame to someone else in another state. Be aware that Google Maps will show a lot of false positives (usually bike shops). If you find someone with experience in aerospace but not bikes, you might consider approaching them nonetheless. Nevertheless, this type of expertise is specialized. Ordinary bike store mechanics won't be able to do this. Framebuilders specializing in metal frames would be the same.

You should seriously consider approaching a lawyer who specializes in personal injuries. They will be familiar with negotiating with auto insurance companies, and they will know what sort of proof is required to get the company to reimburse you. Typically, you can choose between paying an hourly rate or a contingency fee (usually 30% of the settlement amount). Yes, this is expensive. However, this may not be an area where you want to go it alone.

You could consider seeking some sort of statement from a carbon fiber repairer first, and approaching the company with that. If they detect no damage, I would still count the inspection and shipping as damages you incurred. You could naturally threaten to seek legal representation to encourage the insurer to settle. You might also consider cross-posting to the legal stack exchange.

If you do this, I would make clear to them that:

1. Carbon fiber bikes can take damage from a rear impact that a) isn't visible to the naked eye and b) can cause the frame to fail later. Thus, I would not trust a carbon frame that had taken a rear impact like described - actually, the same might hold of a lot of metal frames.
2. It's not simple to detect this type of invisible damage. It typically requires ultrasound or similar imaging. Almost no bike stores have this expertise. So unfortunately, there may be transaction costs.
3. From the written description, this was a hard hit. This is much worse than a crash while riding. The car made direct contact with the bike frame, plus there was force transmitted through the hit to the wheel. I suspect most performance bike frames would be compromised in some fashion, period.

Overall, my advice is more conservative than I suggested in this answer about what to do if one isn't sure if your carbon bike is safe. Generally, you become unsure if you take some sort of moderate impact or you scrape the carbon a bit. With what happened in the written description, I would tend to assume the bike is unsafe unless proven by inspection (by a qualified person, not an ordinary mechanic at a bike shop who's just going to do a tap test that they may not know how to interpret).

Ideally, you should find someone who repairs carbon composites and who has ultrasound imaging equipment. They can detect delaminations (i.e. invisible fractures under the surface of the carbon) that aren't apparent with the tap test - which may work OK on flat surfaces, but bikes tend not to have many of these. Their testimony would probably be important in establishing that the frame is damaged. I don't know how prevalent these shops are, but there may be more than you think. For example, in or near(ish) to where I live, a Google search highlights Appleman Bicycles in Minneapolis and Cyclocarbon in Rochester (which is about 2 hours south). You could also ship your frame to someone else in another state. Be aware that Google Maps will show a lot of false positives (usually bike shops). If you find someone with experience in aerospace but not bikes, you might consider approaching them nonetheless.

You should seriously consider approaching a lawyer who specializes in personal injuries. They will be familiar with negotiating with auto insurance companies, and they will know what sort of proof is required to get the company to reimburse you. Typically, you can choose between paying an hourly rate or a contingency fee (usually 30% of the settlement amount). Yes, this is expensive. However, this may not be an area where you want to go it alone.

You could consider seeking some sort of statement from a carbon fiber repairer first, and approaching the company with that. You could naturally threaten to seek legal representation to encourage them to settle. You might also consider cross-posting to the legal stack exchange.

If you do this, I would make clear to them that:

1. Carbon fiber bikes can take damage from a rear impact that a) isn't visible to the naked eye and b) can cause the frame to fail later. Thus, I would not trust a carbon frame that had taken a rear impact like described - actually, the same might hold of a lot of metal frames.
2. It's not simple to detect this type of invisible damage. It typically requires ultrasound or similar imaging. Almost no bike stores have this expertise. So unfortunately, there may be transaction costs.

Overall, my advice is more conservative than I suggested in this answer about what to do if one isn't sure if your carbon bike is safe. Generally, you become unsure if you take some sort of moderate impact or you scrape the carbon a bit. Here, it sounds like you took an impact that was enough to collapse the rear wheel, plus the frame was directly impacted in some spots. So this goes well beyond being unsure.

Ideally, you should find someone who repairs carbon composites and who has ultrasound imaging equipment. They can detect delaminations (i.e. invisible fractures under the surface of the carbon) that aren't apparent with the tap test - which may work OK on flat surfaces, but bikes tend not to have many of these. Their testimony would probably be important in establishing that the frame is damaged. 

I don't know how prevalent these shops are, but there may be more than you think. For example, in or near(ish) to where I live, a Google search highlights Appleman Bicycles in Minneapolis and Cyclocarbon in Rochester (which is about 2 hours south). You could also ship your frame to someone else in another state. Be aware that Google Maps will show a lot of false positives (usually bike shops). If you find someone with experience in aerospace but not bikes, you might consider approaching them nonetheless. Nevertheless, this type of expertise is specialized. Ordinary bike store mechanics won't be able to do this. Framebuilders specializing in metal frames would be the same.

You should seriously consider approaching a lawyer who specializes in personal injuries. They will be familiar with negotiating with auto insurance companies, and they will know what sort of proof is required to get the company to reimburse you. Typically, you can choose between paying an hourly rate or a contingency fee (usually 30% of the settlement amount). Yes, this is expensive. However, this may not be an area where you want to go it alone.

You could consider seeking some sort of statement from a carbon fiber repairer first, and approaching the company with that. If they detect no damage, I would still count the inspection and shipping as damages you incurred. You could naturally threaten to seek legal representation to encourage the insurer to settle. You might also consider cross-posting to the legal stack exchange.

If you do this, I would make clear to them that:

1. Carbon fiber bikes can take damage from a rear impact that a) isn't visible to the naked eye and b) can cause the frame to fail later. Thus, I would not trust a carbon frame that had taken a rear impact like described - actually, the same might hold of a lot of metal frames.
2. It's not simple to detect this type of invisible damage. It typically requires ultrasound or similar imaging. Almost no bike stores have this expertise. So unfortunately, there may be transaction costs.
3. From the written description, this was a hard hit. This is much worse than a crash while riding. The car made direct contact with the bike frame, plus there was force transmitted through the hit to the wheel. I suspect most performance bike frames would be compromised in some fashion, period.

Overall, my advice is more conservative than I suggested in this answer about what to do if one isn't sure if your carbon bike is safe. Generally, you become unsure if you take some sort of moderate impact or you scrape the carbon a bit. With what happened in the written description, I would tend to assume the bike is unsafe unless proven by inspection (by a qualified person, not an ordinary mechanic at a bike shop who's just going to do a tap test that they may not know how to interpret).