Undocumented workers built Florida’s roads — and died in the process – Orlando Sentinel

While most of Miami slept, two construction workers climbed into a trench in the center of a 12-lane highway.

The earth was damp from a February rainstorm the day before, making it quick to crumble. Someone should’ve noted the danger before the workers stepped inside, safety protocols say. But their employer — a company called Archer Western, paid by Florida taxpayers — failed to do so.

The men got to work removing a pipe, prying at an obstructing rock with a pick. Almost instantly, the trench collapsed — bringing with it a 30,000-pound concrete wall.

It crushed their organs and split their spines in two. They were dead before the police arrived.

Their deaths were preventable, federal regulators determined. The barrier wall should’ve been supported. The men should’ve had better trainin