Frederick C. Aranki

Frederick C. Aranki is a partner at Block O’Toole & Murphy with three decades of experience handling catastrophic injury cases. Since joining the firm in 2008, he has resolved over $270 million for clients in various types of personal injury cases, including construction accidents, motor vehicle accidents, premises liability accidents, and wrongful deaths.

Before finding his calling as a plaintiff’s attorney, Mr. Aranki worked at defense firms that predominantly represented large insurance companies. These positions gave him extensive insight into the defense side of personal injury cases, and he brought this knowledge with him to Block O’Toole & Murphy. Now, he is proud to represent the hardworking men and women of New York who have been victims of serious accidents.

Mr. Aranki’s results speak for themselves. In 2022, he, along with Partner Scott Occhiogrosso, returned a $30 million verdict in a Child Victims Act case for a 53-year-old man who was sexually abused by his elementary school teacher for more than three years. This result is believed to be New York’s first Child Victims Act verdict on a defended case, and the case was #8 on TopVerdict’s Top 10 Verdicts in New York State for the year. Mr. Aranki and Partner Daniel P. O’Toole also secured a $15 million settlement for the family of a 38-year-old HVAC technician who died tragically after being crushed by a massive air chiller unit in the Bronx. The Appellate Division granted Plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment on the case, a decision which helped expand the protections afforded to workers under Labor Law 240(1).

Some of Mr. Aranki’s other top results include a $12.5 million settlement for a pedestrian struck by multiple vehicles at a Queens intersection, a $10 million settlement for a construction worker injured in a wall collapse, and a $9 million settlement for a Long Island high school student injured when a utility enclosure wall collapsed onto him.

In recognition of his professional achievements, Mr. Aranki has been named a New York Super Lawyer in the Personal Injury – Plaintiff practice area since 2016. This honor is only given to the top 5% of attorneys in New York. In 2026, Mr. Aranki was also named to the New York Personal Injury “Ones to Watch” list by Best Lawyers.

Mr. Aranki is admitted to practice law in New York, Colorado, and the District of Columbia. He is also an active member of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA), a bar association dedicated to protecting the legal rights of all New Yorkers.

Verdicts & Settlements

Since joining the firm, Mr. Aranki has assembled an impressive array of results, including:

• $30,000,000 Verdict in a Child Victims Act case for a 53-year-old man who was sexually abused by his elementary school teacher for more than three years as a child. This case was #8 on TopVerdict’s Top 10 Verdicts in New York State for 2022.
• $15,000,000 Settlement for the family of an HVAC technician who died tragically after being crushed by a massive air chiller unit at a Bronx hospital.
• $12,500,000 Settlement for a pedestrian who suffered permanent, disabling injuries after being struck by multiple vehicles while crossing the street at a Queens intersection.
• $10,000,000 Settlement for an asbestos abatement worker involved in a construction site wall collapse in Manhattan that fatally injured a coworker and left our client with serious injuries and permanent disability. In 2024, this result was among the Top 10 Personal Injury Settlements in New York State, as reported by TopVerdict.
• $9,000,000 Settlement for a 14-year-old high school student in Long Island who sustained comminuted fractures and an elbow dislocation when a utility enclosure wall collapsed on him.
• $8,166,666 Settlement for a building superintendent who suffered serious injuries to his cervical and lumbar spine, requiring multiple surgeries, after falling 2-3 floors in a freight elevator.
• $7,000,000 Settlement for a laborer injured when thousands of pounds of steel beams collapsed onto him.
• $6,500,000 Settlement for a union mechanic who suffered elbow, wrist, pelvis and back injuries after a serious work accident in Manhattan.
• $6,400,000 Settlement for a union ironworker who sustained a lower back injury after falling through a drop ceiling at a Bronx construction site.
• $6,080,408 Jury Verdict for a union worker who suffered serious knee and ankle injuries after he fell seven to eight feet in a scaffold collapse in Harlem.
• $6,000,000 Settlement for a union waterproofer who suffered neck and back injuries after a fall from scaffolding in Brooklyn.
• $5,000,000 Settlement in a wrongful death case for the children of a woman who was struck and killed by a garbage truck while walking on a Manhattan sidewalk.
• $5,000,000 Settlement for a union carpenter who sustained severe head and neck injuries after a large piece of duct fell on him.
• $4,925,000 Settlement for a young man very seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident.
• $4,750,000 Settlement for a union labor foreman who suffered injuries to his pelvis and lower back after being hit by flying rock during blasting operations in the Bronx.
• $4,475,000 Settlement in a wrongful death case for the two young children of a construction worker who was killed after falling through floor at jobsite.
• $4,083,333 Settlement for a foreman at a Manhattan construction site who sustained injuries to his cervical spine when a freight elevator fell 2-3 floors and stopped abruptly.
• $4,000,000 Settlement for a man who was struck and seriously injured by a vehicle in Forest Hills, Queens.
• $3,500,000 in total settlements for the estate and parents of a man who was killed in a motor vehicle accident due to an icy condition on the roadway.
• $3,450,000 Settlement for a Queens man who was struck by a bus while in a crosswalk, requiring multiple ORIF surgeries.
• $3,400,000 Settlement with the City of New York for a man who suffered cervical spine injuries when he was struck by a NYC Parks Department vehicle in Central Park.
• $3,400,000 Settlement for a construction worker who suffered serious neck injuries after being struck by a falling brick.
• $3,258,000 Jury Verdict for man who suffered leg/ankle and back injuries after being struck by a forklift at a supermarket in upper Manhattan.
• $3,250,000 Settlement for a motorist who suffered back and shoulder injuries in a head-on collision with an MTA bus in Brooklyn.
• $3,250,000 Settlement for a subcontracted plumber who fell from an unsecured ladder and suffered spine and wrist injuries that required multiple surgeries.
• $3,175,000 Settlement for 38-year-old truck delivery driver who was injured as a result of a forklift accident at a loading dock in Jamaica, Queens.
• $3,000,000 Settlement during jury selection for a 78-year-old woman who was struck by a New York City Parks Department truck while operating her motorized scooter in a bicycle lane.
• $3,000,000 Settlement for man who was injured in a motor vehicle accident with an MTA bus in Brooklyn.
• $2,925,000 Settlement for a man who suffered back injuries in a motor vehicle accident.
• $2,825,000 Settlement for a bricklayer injured when a platform collapsed beneath him at a renovation project in Brooklyn.
• $2,750,000 Settlement for man who suffered shoulder and back injuries when the ceiling in his apartment collapsed.
• $2,600,000 Settlement for a construction worker who suffered lower back, neck, ankle, and head injuries in a fall from an unsecured A-frame ladder in Brooklyn.
• $2,600,000 Settlement for a demolition worker who fell approximately 20 feet when the floor collapsed beneath him at a construction site.
• $2,550,000 Settlement for four injured women who sustained various head and other injuries in a New Jersey truck accident.
• $2,500,000 Settlement for a 50-year-old man who suffered multiple disc herniations that required spinal fusion surgery after he was rear-ended on Gates Avenue in Brooklyn.
• $2,500,000 Settlement for a man who injured his neck in motor vehicle accident.
• $2,500,000 Settlement during trial for a woman who injured her neck while riding an MTA bus.
• $2,500,000 Settlement for a 52-year-old Bronx cyclist injured in a dooring accident on his way to work.
• $2,500,000 Settlement for a mother of two who sustained spinal and shoulder injuries after she was rear-ended by a car that was rear-ended by another vehicle.
• $2,450,000 Settlement for a multi-car accident victim who suffered serious spinal injuries which prevented him from returning to work.
• $2,400,000 Settlement for a construction worker who suffered neck and back injuries after falling off a ladder in Flushing, Queens.
• $2,400,000 Settlement for a man who suffered a neck injury in a motor vehicle accident.
• $2,270,000 Verdict against the New York City Transit Authority for a woman who suffered neck and knee injuries while a passenger in a bus involved in an accident.
• $2,250,000 Settlement for a 68-year-old pedestrian who was fatally injured after being hit by a bus in a Bronx intersection.
• $2,225,000 Award for a man who suffered multiple injuries in a motor vehicle accident in New Castle, New York.
• $2,150,000 Settlement for a carpenter who sustained a neck injury after being struck by a falling object on a construction site.
• $2,000,000 Settlement for union waterproofer who suffered back injuries after falling through scaffold planks for case pending in Richmond County Supreme Court.
• $2,000,000 Settlement for a passenger who injured his neck, back, shoulder, and knee after the vehicle he was in was rear-ended by an MTA bus.
• $1,950,000 Settlement for a construction worker who sustained rotator cuff tears and spinal injuries after being struck with a falling object and plunging off the side of the scaffold.
• $1,925,000 Settlement for a laborer who sustained neck and shoulder injuries when an unsecured wall structure fell on him at a demolition site.
• $1,900,000 Settlement for a woman who suffered back and neck injuries in a slip and fall accident.
• $1,850,000 Settlement for an asbestos abatement worker who suffered serious injuries and was permanently disabled from employment after a work accident in Albany, New York.
• $1,750,000 Settlement for a bus passenger who required multiple spinal fusion surgeries after the bus caused a rear-end accident at a traffic light.
• $1,750,000 Settlement for a motorist who required lumbar laminectomy and fusion surgery after being rear-ended in the Bronx.
• $1,750,000 Settlement for a wrongful death lawsuit in which a woman was killed by a bus driver while crossing the street in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.
• $1,750,000 Settlement for a union laborer who injured his right shoulder and arm after the ladder he was working on broke.
• $1,750,000 Settlement for a 41-year-old mother of three who fell backward and struck her head after the doors of an MTA bus were closed on her.
• $1,550,000 Settlement for a construction worker who suffered knee injuries after falling through scaffold planks on a Brooklyn construction site.
• $1,525,000 Settlement for a flagman who was struck by a car while controlling traffic.
• $1,500,000 Settlement during jury selection for a union laborer who suffered a fractured leg due to a falling object at a construction site.
• $1,500,000 Settlement for an 85-year-old woman who was injured when she was struck by a van while crossing the street.
• $1,500,000 Settlement for a girl who suffered a fractured ankle after falling in a schoolyard.
• $1,500,000 Settlement for a union journeyman ironworker who injured his lumbar spine and left shoulder in a fall on a construction site.
• $1,500,000 Settlement during trial for a man who suffered a neck injury and knee injury in a motorcycle accident.
• $1,500,000 Settlement for a man who suffered a neck injury in a motor vehicle accident.
• $1,500,000 Settlement for a man who sustained back injuries in a motor vehicle accident.
• $1,500,000 Settlement with the City of New York for a woman who suffered neck and knee injuries when she was struck by an NYPD tow truck.
• $1,400,000 Settlement for a subcontractor who fell from a 6-foot scaffold that lacked railing and suffered lifelong spine and shoulder injuries as a result.
• $1,400,000 Settlement for a woman who sustained a neck injury while a passenger in a bus that was involved in a motor vehicle accident.
• $1,275,000 Settlement in construction accident case for non-union laborer who fell approximately 10-12 feet through an opening.
• $1,198,000 Verdict for a man who injured his neck and back in a motor vehicle accident.
• $1,100,000 Settlement (less than one year after the date of accident) for a 68-year-old woman who suffered a fractured skull and fractured arm after being struck by a truck while crossing the street.
• $1,100,000 Settlement for 46-year-old union ironworker injured while lifting and transporting steel grating at a Bronx construction site.
• $900,000 Settlement during trial for a man who fractured his leg in a construction site accident.
• $823,732 Verdict for a man who suffered an aggravation of a pre-existing neck injury in a motor vehicle accident.

Honors and Associations

• New York Super Lawyers, 2016-Present
• New York Ones to Watch, Best Lawyers, 2026
• New York State Trial Lawyers Association, Member

Press Mentions

• Nassau jury awards man $30M in sex abuse suit against teacher | Newsday
• Victim Awarded $30M in Sex Abuse Case Involving Nassau Teacher | Patch

Areas of Practice

• Construction accidents
• Motor vehicle accidents
• Premises liability
• Wrongful death

Bar Admissions

• New York
• Colorado
• District of Columbia
• S. District Court Eastern District of New York
• S. District Court Southern District of New York
• S. District Court District of Colorado