Brooklyn D.A.: Builder chose cash over safety

? The construction contractor indicted on a manslaughter charge in connection to a Brooklyn wall collapse that killed a worker in March says the city's to blame. ?They should be accepting liability themselves.

News 12 Staff

Jun 12, 2008, 12:37 AM

Updated 5,958 days ago

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? The construction contractor indicted on a manslaughter charge in connection to a Brooklyn wall collapse that killed a worker in March says the city's to blame.
?They should be accepting liability themselves. Construction failures are happening in the city at an alarming rate as a result of the administration?s failure to properly supervise and inspect the jobs,? says Norman Steiner, the lawyer of William Lattarulo.
An underpinning gave way, causing a wall to collapse on 30-year-old father of two Lauro Ortega, of Queens.
The Brooklyn district attorney says Lattarulo, of Malverne, Long Island, fired his contractors and ignored the architect?s plans to build a secure worksite.
?He saved $90,000. And Lauro Ortega lost his life,? says District Attorney Charles Hynes.
The city stopped work at the Glenmore Avenue site after the accident. The buildings commissioner cited "evidence of shoddy work conditions" and said building permits had expired days before.
Lattarulo also faces reckless endangerment and criminally negligent homicide charges stemming from the incident. Bail was set at $25,000 Wednesday and the district attorney?s office says it will not take a plea bargain. Lattarulo faces five to 15 years in prison.
Construction worker killed in on-site accident