Ceiling disaster

My dad, a WWII vet, and my mother, had a frightening experience. During a terrible storm in April, and right after a plane flew low over their house, a portion of the living room ceiling collapsed.  Thank God, they were not hurt! Just very frightened from the noise and the damage it caused. Broken furniture and glass all over the place.

Their home was part of the Metropolitan Airport Commission Noise Prevention program about ten years ago. In the process of upgrading, the contractors started a fire, and when repairing the damage (which was extensive, they were displaced for over 8 months) another fire was started by the sub contractors. So, after all these years, the ceiling finally gave way. After numerous estimates from aproximately six different companies, whom all say water damage is the cause of the collapse, Allstate is refusing to pay for it, claiming it is natural "wear and tear". There are even water stains on the plaster that fell. Allstate hired their own engineer to determine if it was water damage, but of course he didn't find any. For my parents to hire their own engineer, it would cost at least $300, and they are tired of fighting the insurance company, they just want to get it fixed. There is a crack in the dining room celing where we are afraid the same thing may happen. The repairs will cost approximately $11,000 to replace both ceilings, or $2300 to patch. Attached is an estimate from a company that has been in business for over forty years.