Gurps,
That's a tough one! Sorry for your loss!
The car is soon to be 8 years old, and I suspect that with the cost of parts from Nissan, even if the airbags didn't go off, the insurance company may write it off.
If it were a 2016 they'd most likely fix it.
I do know that in my jurisdiction, if the driver's air bag deploys, the car is almost always written off, branded, and could only be used for parts and not rebuilt.
Do some homework and get a good body shop to give an accurate account of the parts and cost to rebuild. That will give you a good indication if its worth buying from the insurance company (if their sale price is low enough), and then fixing it yourself. Now, that assumes you have a friend/shop where you can get the work done that you personally can't do yourself, if you're so inclined.
I suggest that, because I do. Looking at the pictures (assuming the engine hasn't been pushed back on the frame, etc.) it appears that it possibly could be an easy fix, with say some good used parts. But again that depends on frame measurements and inspection under the hood. If it was mainly cosmetic damage, I'd fix it myself. But again, I have 3 other vehicles to drive, the tools, space to work on it, and I'm retired and love a challenge.
I feel for your pain, and I sincerely hope it works out for you.
Gene
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