Daniel P. O’Toole

Daniel P. O’Toole is one of New York’s premier trial lawyers. Known for tackling some of the state’s toughest plaintiff-side personal injury cases, Mr. O’Toole has returned landmark verdicts and settlements, including a $110 million jury verdict and a $65 million settlement – one of the largest reported catastrophic injury accident verdict and settlement, respectively, ever in New York State history.

Devoted to helping victims of devastating accidents, Mr. O’Toole handles cases involving motor vehicle accidents, construction accidents, wrongful death incidents, and premises liability issues. In the past four years alone, he has recovered over $460,000,000 in settlements for clients; his lifetime reported settlements and verdicts now exceed $1 billion.

A Fordham University School of Law graduate, Mr. O’Toole has been a fierce and tenacious advocate for his clients. Throughout his career spanning more than 30 years, his commitment has earned him recognition from numerous legal organizations, including Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers®, American Trial Lawyers, the Irish Legal 100, and the Brehon Law Society. In 2026, Best Lawyers® named Mr. O’Toole the Lawyer of the Year in Personal Injury – Plaintiffs for the New York Metro Area. Mr. O’Toole is also one of the Top 100 Super Lawyers in the New York Metro area, recognizing him as one of the top attorneys across all practice areas in the region. 

Mr. O’Toole’s experience has also made him a trusted source within and outside of the legal industry. He regularly lectures at events to share his trial expertise with fellow attorneys, and he has authored pieces for The New York Law Journal and Best Lawyers®.

Seminal Personal Injury Case Results

Mr. O’Toole has been the lead trial lawyer or co-lead trial counsel on the following record-breaking results in New York:

• $110,174,972 jury verdict, the largest individual catastrophic injury verdict in the United States for the year and the largest known catastrophic injury accident verdict ever in New York. Together with Partner Scott Occhiogrosso, Mr. O’Toole represented a Bushwick cyclist paralyzed in a devastating MTA accident.
• $65,000,000 settlement, one of the the largest reported catastrophic injury settlements ever in New York State history. Mr. O’Toole and Partners David Scher and Scott Occhiogrosso obtained the settlement for a severely injured Brooklyn cyclist after a long legal battle that went to New York’s Appellate Division. The expected payout will exceed $117,000,000 over the course of the victim’s life.
• $32,756,156 verdict for a pedestrian left with traumatic brain injuries after he was struck by an intoxicated driver. This is believed to be the largest personal injury verdict in Long Island’s Suffolk County.
• $22,500,000 settlement against the State of New York in a road maintenance case, the third largest reported personal injury settlement against the State of New York ever.
• $20,181,484 verdict, the second largest personal injury verdict in the history of the New York Court of Claims. This is also the single largest pain and suffering verdict in the 148-year history of the court.
• $15,000,000 settlement for a brain-injured pedestrian struck by an automobile.
• $15,000,000 settlement for an HVAC technician killed by a falling object in the Bronx.
• $14,000,000 verdict for a motorcyclist hit by a truck in Long Island, causing a below-the-knee amputation of his leg. This is the largest reported personal injury verdict in Nassau County.
• $13,500,000 settlement for a young mother with traumatic, disabling brain injuries after she was struck while crossing the street. After a tough trial, the case settled, making it the largest reported personal injury settlement in Suffolk County.
• $13,000,000 wrongful death settlement for an auto accident victim.
• $12,250,000 settlement for two workers injured when an elevator skipped floors and came to an abrupt stop.
• $12,000,000 settlement for a child who was injured by a car jumping the sidewalk in Brooklyn. The lifetime payment to the claimant will be in excess of $70,000,000.
• $12,000,000 settlement for a union tunnel worker in Manhattan who fell 40 feet during a subway extension project.
• $11,500,000 settlement for a Bronx laborer injured by a defective circular saw.
• $10,000,000 settlement for asbestos abatement worker injured in wall collapse.

Notable Achievements

Year after year, Mr. O’Toole obtains some of the largest settlements for accident victims. Since 2013, Mr. O’Toole and his colleagues at Block O’Toole & Murphy have posted more top 25 settlements than any other firm in New York.

• In 2024, Mr. O’Toole settled in excess of $150,000,000 in results, including the record-breaking $65,000,000 settlement.
• In 2022, he resolved nearly $140,000,000 worth of cases.
• In 2019, he settled 20 multi-million-dollar cases, including an $11,500,000 settlement for a construction worker, an $11,000,000 settlement for an injured laborer, and a $6,500,000 settlement for a union mechanic.
• In 2017, he reported both the number one mediated settlement in New York State ($12,000,000 construction accident) and the number two overall settlement ($13,500,000 pedestrian accident).

Positions Held

For over a decade, Mr. O’Toole has been the Co-Chairman of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA) Labor Law Committee, a committee that fights to preserve and enact laws to promote worker safety at construction sites. He also served on NYSTLA’s Board of Directors from 2011 to present.

Honors and Awards

Mr. O’Toole has been honored by numerous legal organizations and publications for his career accomplishments. Since 2008, he has been elected as a New York State “Super Lawyer,” recognizing him as one of the top 5% of New York personal injury attorneys. He has also been selected by his peers to be included in New York’s Best Lawyers® since 2014, and in 2026, he was named Best Lawyers® Lawyer of the Year in Personal Injury – Plaintiffs for the New York Metro Area. Other recognitions include:

• Irish Legal 100, 2010-Present
• American Trial Lawyers, Top 100 Trial Lawyers, 2009-Present
• Institute of Jewish Humanities, Lawyer of the Year, 2012
• Brehon Law Society, Lawyer of the Year, 2011

Mr. O’Toole has also been honored for his philanthropic efforts. In 2023, he and his wife, Claire, were recognized by Fordham Law School at the school’s Scholarship Benefactors Reception. In 2018, Mr. O’Toole also received the James F. Gill Spirit of Hope Award from Fordham Law School’s Feerick Center for Social Justice. Other awards include:

• University of Scranton, Frank O’Hara Distinguished Alumni Award, 2019. This award is the university’s highest honor.
• One Mission, Runner of the Year, 2018
• Bergen Catholic High School, Founder’s Medal, 2016. This award is the school’s highest honor.
• Brooklyn to Alaska Project, Man of the Year Award, 2013

Charity Work

Mr. O’Toole is heavily involved in charity work. He is a major donor to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and he and firm partners Jeffrey A. Block and Stephen J. Murphy have been instrumental in raising over $10,000,000 for the organization over the past ten years.

To further support children with serious illnesses, injuries, and disabilities, the O’Tooles are also key donors for:

• The Institute of Educational Achievement, a school for children and young adults with autism in New Jersey.
• Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a free-of-charge summer camp for children with serious injuries. The O’Tooles recently helped fund the construction of a Young Adult Lodge at the camp.
• One Mission, a pediatric cancer charity in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2018, Mr. O’Toole earned the Runner of the Year honor through his efforts running the Boston Marathon for the charity.
• Pony Power Therapies, an organization in Mahwah, New Jersey that connects people with disabilities or life challenges to the wonders of horses, farming, and nature.

The O’Tooles are major supporters of increasing access to education. Together, they have endowed scholarships at the Fordham University School of Law and Georgetown University. They are also substantial contributors to the Dr. Michael DeMichele Scholarship at the University of Scranton, Boston College, and various scholarship funds at New Jersey Catholic schools.

In 2020, Mr. O’Toole ran the Boston Marathon in support of HomeStart Boston, an organization whose goal is to end homelessness in the area by helping individuals obtain housing and develop strategies to prevent homelessness before it starts. He became the second largest individual fundraiser in the history of the Boston Marathon while running in support of this organization.

Finally, the O’Tooles are significant supports of Black and Missing, an organization committed to helping reunite missing persons of color with their families. In 2025, Mr. O’Toole ran the Philadelphia Half Marathon in support of the organization.

Speaking Engagements

• Featured Lecturer, Negotiating a Catastrophic Case, 2025. Part of New Jersey Association for Justice’s 2025 Boardwalk Seminar.
• Featured Lecturer, Strategies for Trying Catastrophic Cases in NY vs. NJ, 2024. Part of New Jersey Association for Justice’s 2024 Boardwalk Seminar.
• Speaker and Honoree, The Institute for Educational Achievement’s (IEA) Award Ceremony, 2023. The school, which helps people with autism cultivate lifelong skills to succeed, honored Mr. O’Toole and his wife, Claire, for their contributions.
• Featured Lecturer, Advanced Trial Practice: Preparing your Heavy Case for Trial, 2023. Part of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA) Bermuda Conference.
• Speaker and Honoree, Fordham Law School Scholarship Reception, 2023. Mr. O’Toole and his wife, Claire, were recognized for their contributions to the school, creating an endowment that assists graduates with their student loans.
• Speaker and Honoree, University of Scranton Frank O’Hara Distinguished Alumni Award Reception, 2019. The award is the university’s highest honor, and it recognizes Mr. O’Toole for his legal and philanthropic work.
• Speaker and Honoree, Fordham Law School’s Feerick Center for Social Justice James F. Gill Spirit of Hope Award Ceremony, 2018.
• Speaker and Honoree, Founder’s Medal Reception at Bergen Catholic High School, 2016. The award is the school’s highest honor, and it recognizes Mr. O’Toole for his achievements and contributions to the school.
• Expert Interviewee, Insider Exclusive with Steve Murphy, “The Good Samaritan: The Jimmy Dunne Story,” Mr. O’Toole and Partner Stephen J. Murphy discuss a record-breaking case they handled for a Vietnam War veteran who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a tragic pedestrian accident.

Publications and Media Appearances

• Metro Briefing: New York Ferry Crash Settlement | New York Times
• Man paralyzed by falling subway debris awarded $110M in MTA lawsuit | New York Daily News
• $33M of justice for a tragic survivor | New York Daily News
• Man paralyzed by MTA accident awarded over $100M | New York Post
• Bushwick Cyclist Wins 110M After Subway Beam Crushed His Spine | Patch
• Structurally Unsound | Best Lawyers®
• Still Debating What ‘Falls’ Within Labor Law 240(1) | New York Law Journal
• Why You Should Put At Least Two Lawyers on Every Case | New York Law Journal (pdf download)

Areas of Practice

• Construction accidents, including scaffolding accidents, ladder accidents, and heavy machinery accidents
• Motor vehicle accidents, including car collisions, truck collisions, bus collisions, pedestrian accidents, and highway defect cases
• Premises liability, including ceiling collapse accidents, retail store accidents, and slip/trip and fall accidents
• Wrongful deaths
• Workplace accidents
• Bad faith cases against insurance companies

Bar Admissions

• New York
• New Jersey

Education

• Fordham University School of Law, New York, New York – 1992
• University of Scranton, Scranton, PA, B.A. and M.A. – 1989

Other Verdicts and Settlements

• $9,750,000 settlement (Long Island worker with serious orthopedic and neurological injuries after scaffold fall)
• $9,000,000 settlement (14-year-old boy with severe arm injuries after wall collapse in Long Island)
• $8,750,000 settlement with over $20,000,000 in additional guaranteed health benefits for life (brain injured client)
• $8,166,666 settlement (building superintendent injured in elevator accident)
• $8,000,000 verdict (lumbar spine and knee surgeries after rear-end collision in Kings County)
• $7,500,000 settlement (NYPD officer injured in the line of duty)
• $7,300,000 settlement (laborer who fell from scaffolding)
• $7,000,000 settlement (worker who fell 30 feet down an elevator shaft in Manhattan)
• $7,000,000 settlement (steelworker injured by falling steel)
• $6,500,000 verdict (Queens union laborer with herniated disc injury after being struck by a falling beam)
• $6,500,000 settlement (injured union laborer)
• $6,500,000 settlement (union mechanic in Manhattan who suffered fractures to his vertebra, pelvis, dominant wrist, and elbow)
• $6,400,000 settlement (Bronx union ironworker who fractured his sacrum and tailbone after falling through a drop ceiling)
• $6,250,000 settlement (non-union carpenter who fell from a ladder and suffered brain injuries, causing quadriplegia)
• $6,000,000 settlement during trial (injured NYCTA passenger in Brooklyn bus accident)
• $6,000,000 settlement (injured union water proofer in Brooklyn scaffold fall case)
• $5,900,000 settlement (Bronx union bricklayer with post-concussion syndrome after ladder fall)
• $5,000,000 settlement (wrongful death of tourist in Midtown Manhattan garbage truck accident case)
• $5,000,000 settlement (union worker hit by a falling plank in Manhattan)
• $5,050,000 settlement (injured construction worker)
• $4,925,000 settlement, representing all insurance coverage available (motorist with brain injury)
• $4,900,000 settlement (Brooklyn union electrician with spinal injuries and complex regional pain syndrome after ladder fall)
• $4,750,000 settlement (union excavator)
• $4,700,000 settlement (injured construction worker)
• $4,650,000 settlement (non-union laborer with rib fractures after a warehouse fall in Astoria, Queens)
• $4,500,000 settlement (union carpenter with knee injury)
• $4,500,000 settlement (union plumber injured as a result of a tripping hazard)
• $4,500,000 settlement (injured construction worker struck by a heavy hoist gate in Manhattan)
• $4,475,000 settlement (wrongful death with a payout of over $20,000,000 to two surviving children of a deceased non-union laborer who fell on a construction site)
• $4,250,000 settlement (union excavator in Brooklyn with serious injuries after a construction site fall)
• $4,083,333 settlement (cervical spine injuries requiring surgery after elevator accident)
• $4,000,000 settlement (Bronx union laborer with neck, back, and shoulder injuries after fall from scaffolding)
• $4,000,000 settlement (union carpenter who fell from a ladder on a Bronx construction site, causing spinal stenosis)
• $4,000,000 settlement (auto accident involving hotel porter in Woodhaven, Queens)
• $4,000,000 settlement (above-the-knee amputation after auto accident in Forest Hills, Queens)
• $4,000,000 settlement (injured non-union asbestos removal worker)
• $4,000,000 settlement (a 12-year-old pedestrian hit by a vehicle while crossing the street; lifetime payment in excess of $19,000,000)
• $3,720,000 settlement (glass worker who suffered severe foot and ankle injuries after he fell through an unsecured cover at a construction site in Bayside, Queens)
• $3,500,000 settlement (NYCTA bus operator injured after his bus was rear-ended by a NYC Sanitation truck in Brooklyn)
• $3,500,000 settlement (union bricklayer)
• $3,500,000 settlement (injured union carpenter who suffered head injuries after being hit by a falling metal beam)
• $3,450,000 settlement (pedestrian hit by an Access-A-Ride bus while crossing the street in Queens, causing severe fractures that required multiple ORIF surgeries)
• $3,450,000 settlement (union carpenter who fell from a scaffold, injuring his hip)
• $3,450,000 settlement (non-union laborer with back injuries following a fall)
• $3,400,000 settlement (union laborer slipped and fell with back injury)
• $3,400,000 settlement (construction worker struck by falling brick)
• $3,250,000 settlement (driver who suffered back and shoulder injuries after head-on collision with a NYCTA bus in Brooklyn)
• $3,250,000 settlement (union carpenter who injured his wrist in fall)
• $3,250,000 settlement (plumber with wrist and spine injuries after falling from unsecured ladder in Manhattan)
• $3,175,000 settlement (truck driver who was struck by a fully loaded forklift while he was making a delivery in Queens)
• $3,100,000 settlement (non-union laborer)
• $3,000,000 settlement (non-union carpenter)
• $3,000,000 settlement (barber involved in a collision with a NYCTA bus at a Brooklyn intersection, causing extensive injuries)
• $3,000,000 settlement (laborer in Bronx trip and fall accident on a construction site)
• $3,000,000 settlement (taxi driver injured in auto accident)
• $2,900,000 settlement (non-union laborer with back injury)
• $2,825,000 settlement (non-union bricklayer who fell 12-15 feet when a platform collapsed on a Brooklyn construction site)
• $2,750,000 settlement (tenant who suffered shoulder and back injuries when the ceiling in his Queens apartment collapsed)
• $2,750,000 settlement (homemaker who suffered a knee injury in a trip and fall accident)
• $2,750,000 settlement (non-union air conditioning repair worker with leg fracture)
• $2,700,000 settlement (union plumber who fell while renovating a Manhattan hotel, injuring his knee and shoulder)
• $2,600,000 settlement (lower back, neck, ankle, and head injuries after fall from ladder in Brooklyn)
• $2,600,000 settlement (non-union laborer with internal injuries in building collapse)
• $2,500,000 settlement (worker who suffered spinal injuries from a rear-end accident on Gates Avenue in Brooklyn)
• $2,500,000 settlement (cyclist injured after being struck by the opening door of a double-parked Access-A-Ride van in the Bronx)
• $2,500,000 settlement (motorist injured in car accident, back surgery)
• $2,500,000 settlement (chain rear-end collision)
• $2,450,000 settlement (motorist with spinal injuries after four-vehicle collision in Queens)
• $2,400,000 settlement (pre-deposition settlement for 58-year-old worker with neck injury after a commercial vehicle accident)
• $2,250,000 settlement (wrongful death of Bronx pedestrian hit by bus)

Approximately 100 other settlements in excess of $1,000,000.