New York Classical Pianist Awarded $2.5M for Car Crash Injuries

A classical pianist from New York City who hurt his elbow in a car accident and can no longer play at the level he mastered has been awarded $2.5 million by a New Jersey jury.

The award was against a motorist from Rutherford, New Jersey. The Daily Record reports a Morris County jury made the award earlier this month to 47-year-old William Finizio.

Finizio told investigators he was driving on Route 80 in Parsippany, New Jersey, when a car struck his vehicle in November 2011.

Finizio’s attorney, Gregg Alan Stone, tells the newspaper playing piano wasn’t Finizio’s primary job but rather something that “defined him as a person.” Stone says the crash has hurt Finizio’s ability to play classical piano, guitar and other instruments.