Defendant in Brooklyn Construction Accident Site Death Acquitted of Manslaughter
William Lattarullo being led into court in Brooklyn (courtesy of the New York Times)
His name was Lauro Ortega, and like millions before him, he came to America looking for a better life. Instead, he died in a trench in Brooklyn, crushed to death in a tragic construction site accident.
Now Mr. Ortega's family, still grieving over the loss of their loved one, has received another harsh blow. The man accused of manslaughter in their loved ones death was acquitted of all criminal charges stemming from the incident.
It all started two years ago in March, 2008. Mr. Ortega, an undocumented worker from Ecuador, had been hired by William Lattarullo to dig a foundation for a new coin laundry he wanted to build. The site for the coin laundry was located right next door to a home that Mr. Lattarulo also owned.
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s position was that because Mr. Lattarulo callously ignored warnings that the site was dangerous, he was guilty of manslaughter, and they charged him accordingly. Brooklyn DA Charles J. Hynes hoped that convicting Lattarulo would send a message to other New York City builders that ignoring safety at construction sites is risky in more ways than one - it could put them behind bars. Although the acquittal is a blow to the Ortega family, their fight for justice is by no means over.
The Ortega family has filed a civil lawsuit against Mr. Lattarulo. This is similar to the outcome in the O.J. Simpson criminal case, where O.J. was acquitted in criminal court, but later found liable for millions of dollars in damages in the civil lawsuit. Let's hope that the Ortega family has hired a top notch construction accident attorney to prevail in the civil trial.
