If an auto body repair knew frame was bent, and...

Clueless customer here. If an auto body repair shop knew frame was bent, but failed to say anything until after they fixed superficial damage, is this illegal/ negligent?

My older (but reliable) RAV4 got swiped from the left while trying to inch out of my driveway, which can become a blind junction when large SUVs or trucks park to the left of our driveway. Thankfully I had barely inched out to see past this huge SUV. but a car comes and it causes what seems like a minor fender bender that banged up the bumper, smashed the L fog light, and dragged my car to the right... along with its frame, unbeknownst to me.

The car seems perfectly driveable, so I assume it's just superficial damage to the bumper & fog light being your average clueless woman driver with an untrained eye.

I inquired with 2 shops near me, and after the first two shops refuse to work on the car (first one says bumper is obsolete, we only use new parts. Second one: bumper can be sourced, but rn we're too busy/booked and won't take it in). I find a third auto body shop willing to source and work on the bumper.

While I'm at it, I had an old scratch & dent to passenger rear door & panel from backing out of a tight parking stall & not seeing a metal electrical box on the wall in my blind spot. Logical conclusion: if I'm getting the bumper fixed, might as well take care of that old dent while we're at it so I can sell or trade in this car one day.

Homie quotes me for the requested repairs, and suggests that I don't bother going thru insurance b/c they would jack up my premiums.

Only after completing the repairs did the worker reveal that the frame was bent.

Had I known the frame was bent from the start, I would not have gone forward with superficial repairs. Was charged about $2K when the car's value may not even be worth that much. My thoughts assuming this was just superficial body damage was get another 100K out of a reliable car I love and use for work/rack up mileage on anyway. And tbh rn I can't yet afford a new car. Was thinking I could save up for a year and think about a replacement car when it was absolutely necessary. After all, she seemed to drive perfectly fine.

But she's not fine. You can't sell a car with a bent frame. I don't expect to pass safety check next year; and I even asked the worker about this detail (can I pass safety without a fog light? Him: "probably not"... guess what homie? You can't pass safety with a bent frame!)

Can I potentially sue this dude? Is my vehicle unsafe to drive? I understand now after my own research that a bent frame is like driving a tilted car-- alignment will be off and tires would wear unevenly. Dude requested to be paid in cash or venmo. I feel like I'm being swindled. I was already sad/ ashamed that this fender bender happened at all-- and now I feel like this whole situation has gotten even worse 😣😩