Pawel P. Wierzbicki

Pawel P. Wierzbicki became the youngest partner in Block O’Toole & Murphy’s history in 2023, after working as an associate trial attorney at the firm for four years. A talented and hard-working attorney, Mr. Wierzbicki specializes in representing clients who have been catastrophically injured in construction accidents, motor vehicle accidents, premises liability incidents, and wrongful deaths. He has also handled numerous complex workers’ compensation claims and has a thorough understanding of how to integrate these claims with third-party personal injury lawsuits.

Mr. Wierzbicki’s incredible dedication to his clients has led to significant results in New York, including a $10.3 million settlement in a complex workers’ compensation and Labor Law case, a $10 million settlement for an asbestos abatement worker, a $9.75 million settlement for a carpenter who fell from scaffolding, and a $9.5 million settlement for a Polish American worker who developed Parkinsonism. All told, he has recovered more than $200 million in results for clients.

Born in Chicago and raised in Poland, Mr. Wierzbicki fluently speaks both Polish and English. As such, he is proud to provide legal representation for people of all different cultures and backgrounds, particularly Polish-speaking clients who come to the firm for help. A longtime advocate for New York’s Polish community, Mr. Wierzbicki understands the difficulties his Polish clients may have while navigating the legal system, and he works to ensure they receive accurate translations and personalized attention.

Mr. Wierzbicki’s work has been recognized by various highly regarded legal organizations and publications. Since 2021, he has been named to Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars list for New York in the Personal Injury – Plaintiff practice area. This accolade is reserved for less than 2.5% of attorneys in New York. He has also been selected to Best Lawyers’ prestigious Ones to Watch list since 2026 and National Trial Lawyers’ Top 40 Under 40 list for Civil Plaintiff Trial Attorneys since 2020.

In recognition of his academic excellence, Mr. Wierzbicki was awarded the Pulaski Scholarship for Advanced Studies from the American Council for Polish Culture. In school, the Levin College of Law awarded him the Book Award for obtaining the top grade in his torts class. Mr. Wierzbicki is also a proud member of the Pulaski Association of Business & Professional Men, Inc.

Mr. Wierzbicki is highly motivated to do everything he can to help injured clients who come to him in their time of need. Through hard work, a keen understanding of the legal system, and experience dealing with a wide variety of people, Mr. Wierzbicki is dedicated to securing the maximum amount of money available to the people he serves.

Notable Achievements

• 2026: Wierzbicki and partners obtained a $10,300,000 settlement on the eve of trial for a 56-year-old Polish immigrant who sustained catastrophic brain injuries after he fell from a ladder. This complex case was first litigated through an extensive workers’ compensation trial, handled by Mr. Wierzbicki. The defense claimed that our client’s injuries, which included an internal carotid dissection and stroke, were not related to the accident. Mr. Wierzbicki successfully established the link between the injuries and the accident, leading to a favorable workers’ compensation result and a significant settlement.

• 2026: Mr. Wierzbicki co-handled a complex construction accident and workers’ compensation case that resolved for $9,500,000 after four years of litigation. Plaintiff, a Polish American sanitation truck driver, was struck in the head by a pallet while collecting debris from an active construction site. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and cervical spine injury, and he was later diagnosed with Parkinsonism. Though the trial court initially dismissed the Labor Law 240(1) claims, the firm’s appellate team challenged, and the First Department reversed the decision. This expanded the protections afforded to New York construction workers under Labor Law 240(1). Mr. Wierzbicki successfully litigated the issue at a workers’ compensation trial, establishing that the client’s Parkinsonism resulted from the single work-related head trauma. That determination is believed to be the first of its kind in New York’s workers’ compensation system to recognize Parkinsonism as causally related to a single traumatic event.

• 2025: According to Top Verdict, Mr. Wierzbicki co-handled two of the top 10 highest reported personal injury settlements in New York. These included a $7,300,000 settlement for a worker who sustained bilateral heel fractures after falling from scaffolding and a $6,000,000 settlement for a Queens motor vehicle accident.

• 2024: Mr. Wierzbicki obtained a $10,000,000 settlement for an asbestos abatement worker who suffered permanent injuries after a wall collapsed on him. This result was VerdictSearch’s second highest reported construction accident settlement in New York that year.

• 2023: Mr. Wierzbicki helped secure $9,750,000 for a Polish American carpenter who fell from an unstable Baker scaffold and suffered serious injuries to his cervical and lumbar spine. According to Top Verdict, this was New York’s second highest construction accident settlement and fourth highest settlement overall https://www.blockotoole.com/verdicts-settlements/9-75-million-settlement-long-island-construction-accident/in 2023.

• 2022: Several of Mr. Wierzbicki’s settlements were recognized by Top Verdict this year. He helped secure the state’s top construction accident settlement for the year ($8,750,000 for a Polish immigrant who fell from a ladder) and the third highest construction settlement ($4,500,000 for a plumber who tripped and fell on a construction site). He also obtained the third highest reported motor vehicle accident settlement in New York ($4,300,000).

Honors and Awards

• Best Lawyers, Ones to Watch, 2026-Present
• Super Lawyers, Rising Stars, 2021-Present
• National Trial Lawyers, Top 40 Under 40, 2020-Present
• Pulaski Scholarship for Advanced Studies, the American Council for Polish Culture
• Book Award, The Levin College of Law
• Outstanding Young Pole in the United States, Polish Promotional Emblem Foundation

Positions Held

• Member, New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA)
• Member, New York County Lawyers’ Association
• Member, Pulaski Association of Business & Professional Men, Inc
• Member, New York State Bar Association
• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, Injured Workers’ Bar Association

Speaking Engagements

• Keynote Speaker, Consulate General of Poland Event

Areas of Practice

• Construction Accidents
• Workers’ Compensation
• Motor Vehicle Accidents
• Premises Liability
• Wrongful Death

Bar Admissions

• New York

Languages

• English
• Polish

Education

• University of Florida Levin College of Law, Master of Laws
• University of Warsaw, Doctor of Law

Verdicts and Settlements

• $10,300,000 settlement in a complex workers’ compensation and Labor Law case involving a 56-year-old Polish immigrant who sustained catastrophic injuries after suffering an electric shock and falling from a ladder.
• $10,000,000 settlement for an asbestos abatement worker who sustained permanent disabling injuries when a large wall collapsed on him at a Manhattan construction site.
• $9,750,000 settlement for a Polish American carpenter who fell off a 6-foot Baker scaffold (a type of portable scaffolding) and sustained permanent injuries to his cervical and lumbar spine.
• $9,500,000 settlement for a Polish American sanitation truck driver who sustained a traumatic brain injury and subsequently developed related Parkinsonism after being struck by a falling object at a construction site;
• $8,750,000 settlement for an undocumented Polish immigrant who suffered head trauma after falling from a ladder at a Manhattan renovation site. The brain damage caused significant health deterioration and triggered antiphospholipid syndrome.
• $7,300,000 settlement for a client who sustained bilateral calcaneal fractures, both requiring surgical intervention, after falling from scaffolding.
• $7,000,000 settlement for a 68-year-old janitor who fell through temporary flooring while sweeping the floor at work, sustaining multiple injuries.
• $6,500,000 settlement for a 39-year-old union electrician who received an electric shock and fell off a ladder, causing spinal injuries that required long-term treatment and surgical intervention.
• $6,000,000 settlement for a victim of a motor vehicle accident who sustained an exacerbation of preexisting cervical spine injuries requiring surgical intervention.
• $5,050,000 settlement for a carpenter who fell off a ladder at work and injured his lumbar spine.
• $5,000,000 settlement for a union carpenter who was struck in the head by a piece of metal duct and underwent a one-level cervical spine fusion surgery.
• $5,000,000 settlement for a Polish union ironworker who tripped and fell over wire mesh at a construction site and sustained exacerbation of a preexisting lumbar spine injury and an aggravation of a preexisting wrist injury.
• $4,700,000 settlement for a 64-year-old undocumented construction worker from Poland who sustained neck, low back, and right ankle injuries as a result of a trip and fall accident on a scaffold.
• $4,500,000 settlement for a union plumber who underwent two surgeries for his knee and will require lifelong medical treatment after he fell on a tripping hazard.
• $4,300,000 settlement for an asbestos abatement worker who was hit by a van on his way to work and sustained fractures of the left forearm and right ankle, along with a meniscal tear in the right knee.
• $4,000,000 settlement for a Local 1 bricklayer who injured his back, requiring a single level laminectomy procedure, when he fell from a permanent unguarded platform while lowering scaffolding on a rooftop in Manhattan.
• $3,650,000 settlement for a Polish union bricklayer who sustained injuries to his neck and bilateral shoulders at a construction site.
• $3,000,000 settlement for a 45-year-old union carpenter who fell off a 6-foot ladder and exacerbated a significant preexisting lumbar spine condition which was eventually treated with a laminectomy at L2-L5.
• $2,700,000 settlement for a union plumber who tripped on a construction site and injured his right knee and the right shoulder.
• $2,500,000 settlement for a 65-year-old construction worker who tripped over a piece of electric cable at a Hudson Yards project and sustained injuries to his ankle, knee and shoulder requiring surgeries.
• $2,500,000 settlement for a Local 78 union worker who fell five feet from scaffolding after he was hit by a falling object.
• $2,500,000 settlement for an asbestos abatement worker who fell off a scaffold and injured his lumbar spine and left knee.
• $2,250,000 settlement for a 64-year-old carpenter who fell off a scaffold and sustained cervical spine injury requiring one-level fusion surgery.
• $2,000,000 settlement for a 35-year-old electrician who fell off a ladder and sustained non-displaced calcaneus fracture which did not require surgery.
• $2,000,000 settlement for a 51-year-old Local 1 union plumber who was injured while riding a bicycle and sustained right foot crush injuries.
• $1,925,000 settlement for a 62-year-old Polish-speaking client who suffered injuries when an unsecured wall structure fell on him at a demolition site in Nassau County.
• $1,750,000 settlement for a union glazier who tripped and fell on a construction site and sustained injuries to his neck and shoulder.
• $1,750,000 settlement for a 37-year-old union carpenter who was injured while transporting sheetrock on a cart that tipped over because one of its wheels locked while contacting construction debris.
• $1,700,000 settlement for a 65-year-old Polish worker who sustained leg injuries when unsecured boards fell on him.
• $1,700,000 settlement for a 62-year-old non-union carpenter who fell off a ladder and sustained injuries to his neck and shoulder;
• $1,500,000 settlement for a construction worker who was struck in the chin by a stone being hoisted by a lift.
• $1,500,000 settlement for a 76-year-old female pedestrian who was crossing the street where the defendant had a green light and the plaintiff was jaywalking. As a result of the accident, our client sustained head trauma and multiple fractures.
• $1,425,000 settlement for a couple injured in a motor vehicle accident caused by a speeding driver.
• $1,400,000 settlement for a 64-year-old laborer who slipped and fell while entering the building and sustained injuries, requiring total knee replacement surgery.
• $1,300,000 settlement for a worker who suffered near blindness when a piece of a screw from a screw gun struck his eye on the job.
• $1,250,000 settlement for a mother who was struck while walking on a crosswalk in Suffolk County.
• $1,225,000 settlement for a 60-year-old man whose vehicle was rear-ended by a 2008 Toyota sedan on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. He sustained an exacerbation of preexisting cervical spine injuries, requiring surgery, and left shoulder injuries, requiring laparoscopic surgery.
• $1,150,000 settlement for a union plumber who sustained a bicep tear in his left arm.
• $1,105,000 settlement for a 68-year-old Polish-speaking client who sustained injuries after falling from a ladder.
• $1,000,000 settlement for a 52-year-old Polish construction worker who fell off a ladder and injured his knee.
• $1,000,000 settlement for a painter who fell off an unguarded loading dock in Suffolk County and sustained right foot injuries.
• $1,000,000 settlement, representing the full available insurance coverage, for a 41-year-old union glazier who sustained soft tissue injuries when his vehicle was rear-ended by a box truck in Queens. Our client had to undergo a L5-S1 discectomy procedure.
• $1,000,000 settlement for the estate of a victim in a successfully plead negligent entrustment action involving a compact track loader rented by a general contractor from a third-party company.
• $950,000 settlement for a female client who suffered lacerations to the face while she was working as a plumbing apprentice.
• $950,000 settlement for a 65-year-old construction worker who sustained soft tissue injuries at a sidewalk and curb replacement project in Manhattan. Our client underwent multiple sessions of physical therapy. He did not undergo any surgery.
• $941,065 recovery for a maintenance worker who fell from a height at work and injured his left humerus and left knee.
• $935,000 settlement for a 52-year-old union sanitation truck driver who sustained soft tissue spine injuries when he was directed by his employer to pick up a dumpster filled with debris from a renovation site in Manhattan.
• $925,000 settlement for a contractor who fell off a scaffold at one single family house construction project in Ulster County.
• $900,000 settlement for a Polish truck driver who sustained exacerbation of pre-existing low back injury.
• $877,850 recovery for a victim of a car crash who sustained exacerbation of pre-existing lumbar spine injuries requiring surgery.
• $850,000 settlement for an asbestos foreman who sustained a hand injury on the job.
• $850,000 settlement for an elderly woman who slipped and fell in the lobby of a residential building and suffered injuries to her right ankle and right shoulder.
• $750,000 settlement for a 60-year-old pedestrian who was struck by an ambulance and suffered soft tissue injuries that were treated without injections or surgery.
• $750,000 settlement for a 66-year-old woman who sustained soft tissue injuries to her shoulder and knees after she tripped and fell on a raised sidewalk in Queens.
• $725,000 settlement for a 72-year-old woman who tripped over raised sidewalk flag and injured her shoulder and knees.
• $700,000 settlement for an elevator mechanic who sustained a foot injury and was able to return to work in full capacity following the accident.
• $700,000 settlement for a 60-year-old union worker who sustained right shoulder injury as a result of another worker falling from a ladder and landing onto him.
• $625,000 settlement for a 67-year-old woman who tripped and fell over a raised sidewalk and sustained injuries to her right hand and left knee.
• $600,000 settlement for a 72-year-old woman who tripped and fell over a raised sidewalk and sustained injuries to her left knee and left shoulder requiring arthroscopic surgery.
• $500,000 settlement for a construction worker injured at a construction project on a single-family house.
• $500,000 settlement for a scooter operator who was hit by a turning van.
• $500,000 settlement for a client who injured his neck when he was clotheslined by a construction component while riding his bicycle on a sidewalk near a construction zone. He treated his neck pain with physical therapy and injections. He returned to work in construction about two weeks after the accident.
• $500,000 settlement for a 62-year-old client who slipped on a recently mopped floor in a residential building and fractured his wrist which required surgical intervention.
• $485,000 settlement for a 60-year-old plumber who underwent knee and shoulder surgeries after a motor vehicle collision.
• $475,000 settlement for a union carpenter who sustained partial amputation of left index finger in non-dominant hand when operating unsafe saw at renovation site.
• $450,000 settlement for a victim of a car accident who sustained soft tissue injuries.