Construction Company Owner, Project Manager Convicted of Manslaughter

Both men convicted of involuntary manslaughter after worker dies from cave-in at homebuilding site in 2012

Inside Bay Area News

U.S. Sino Investment Inc. owner Richard Liu and project manager Dan Luo were both convicted of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the cave-in death of a worker at a Milpitas homebuilding site in 2012, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office. Lou was also convicted of three felony labor code violations for causing the death of an employee through negligence.

Authorities said both men were criminally negligent when they went forward with construction of a home after a stop-word order was issued after concerns that an unfortified 12-foot-tall dirt wall pile from excavating a hillside was prone to collapse.

Raul Zapata Mercado, who had been on the project for just over a week, died in January 2012 after one of those piles collapsed and buried him. Cal-OSHA fined the construction company $168,175 for an array of safety violation after the collapse.

The trial lasted two months with only two days of jury deliberation. Sentencing will take place on July 17. Both men face up to four years in prison.

(more on the contractors manslaughter conviction...)

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