Massachusetts prosecutors asked a judge to sentence a drain company owner to seven to 10 years in prison for his involvement in the collapse and flooding of a trench that killed two workers.
Atlantic Drain Service owner Kevin Lee Otto, 45, was convicted in October of two counts of manslaughter in the deaths of Kelvin Mattocks, 53, and Robert Higgins, 47.
The two workers were in a trench in Boston’s South End in October 2016 when a fire hydrant collapsed and flooded the 14-foot-deep trench with water. The two workers were submerged and drowned.
Prosecutors said Otto had a history of safety violations and should have installed cave-in protections known as trench boxes at the site.
Otto’s lawyer argued at trial that there was no proof that the lack of a trench box caused the hydrant to collapse.
At the sentencing hearing Wednesday, Otto’s attorney asked for probation or a suspended sentence.
Topics Massachusetts
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Alabama Pharmacy, Not Agent, at Fault for Not Reading Policy Before $5M Judgment 
World’s Largest Retirement Community Set to Borrow $180 Million for More Homes 
EU Cyber Agency Warns Websites May Go Dark as PHP Prepares Critical Fix 
Reuters: DXC in Advanced Talks to Sell Insurance Software Unit for $2.4 Billion 
