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VERDICTS & SETTLEMENTS FEBRUARY 1, 2021 ¦ 33

Serrano sent to the carrier de- “I think the insurance adjust-
tailing the impact of the crash er realized that, if this went to
on his client. trial, what happened to my cli-
The letter stated: “The guitar ent would really resonate with
was an integral part of Mark’s life. a jury. Playing the guitar was
more than his livelihood, it’s
He played every day after school A West Hartford solo part of his personality. He also
and on weekends. He soon bought practitioner helped secure
a second guitar and then moved a $100,000 settlement for comes from a working-class
on to taking apart discarded gui- his client, an experienced background and is very believ-
tars to learn how they worked.” guitar player, who injured able,” Serrano said.
Serrano added: “He is a sin-
Serrano said he’s convinced two fingers on his left gle father of three children and
that letter did the trick. hand. worked hard his whole life.”
Nolan declined to comment
“If he had not played the guitar, for this report Thursday.
it would not have been a $100,000 ¦
case. The fact that he played and
had that history cemented the case
for me,” Serrano said Thursday. Robert Storace covers legal
trends, lawsuits and analysis
Serrano said the 67-year-old for the Connecticut Law Tri-
Southwick, owner of Just Guitars bune. Follow him on Twitter
in Newington, can still play the @RobertSCTLaw or reach him at 203-437-5950.
guitar but it’s not the same.
“He can play, but the problem is he doesn’t have
feeling in his left finger. He has to play more by
memory. If his finger is in the wrong place, the
sound doesn’t come out right. Every note he plays
he has that moment of hesitation, wondering if
the note will come out right,” Serrano said.
According to Serrano, 39-year-old Wesley
Knowles, who was driving a Toyota Tacoma with-
out insurance, pulled out of a package store in
Newington in 2019 and broadsided Southwick’s
pickup, which was totaled.
Get the information you need to win
Knowles, who fled the scene, was given infrac- cases and negotiate from strength.
tions for driving without insurance, failure to
maintain the proper travel lane, and leaving the We know you need quick access to verdict information. That’s why we created
scene of an accident. VerdictSearch, so you can have over 180,000 verdicts and settlements,
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Serrano said his client had surgery on his left el- GeT a free 24-hour Trial
bow. “That affected the nerves that run to his fingers.
He lost some feeling in two fingers,” Serrano said. VerdictSearch.com

Southwick also had some soft-tissue injuries to
his neck and lower back “which resolved quickly,”
To get started, visit VerdictSearch.com or contact

Serrano said. the VerdictSearch Sales Team at 1-800-445-6823

Nolan first offered $85,000 to settle, but Serrano
said he stood his ground for the full policy limit of
$100,000.

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