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, however the judge only gave the man two years.

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. According to the Boston Globe, Otto was sentenced to two years in prison this morning. Otto will remain free while his lawyers file a motion to reconsider the verdict.

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.

Construction Company Owner Gets Two Years in Prison for Fatal Accident

by The Associated Press time to read: 1 min
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