Owner of Atlantic Drain charged with manslaughter for employee deaths

BOSTON — Prosecutors have just announced criminal charges in the deaths of two workers killed during a trench collapse in Boston's South End.

Robert Higgins and Kelvin Mattocks died when the trench they were working in filled with water on Oct. 21, 2016.

The company employing the workers, Atlantic Drain Services, was a "severe" OSHA violator.  FOX25 found dozens of OSHA violations against the company.

Today prosecutors charged Atlantic Drain and its owner Kevin Otto with two counts of manslaughter.

"The evidence established that the defendants were well aware of this shoring requirement. As well as the grave dangers that workers would be exposed to without it. Because they'd incurred two separate OSHA violations in the past ten years for failing to follow it," Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley said.

The company and Otto are also charged with misleading investigators and concealing records.

Cox Media Group