She was killed in a carrot field. With her body nearby, workers say, they were told to keep picking

LOS ANGELES — Miriam del Carmen Ramirez was walking back into the carrot fields in New Cuyama after a brief work break, and looked over her shoulder to check on her mother, who was just a few yards behind.

As a crew of about 60 workers were headed back to finish picking the field, she heard the engine of a truck nearby, then panicked yelling.

"You could hear people screaming, and I couldn't see my mom," the 24-year-old farmworker said.

A truck driver driving in reverse had struck her mother, Rosa Miriam Sanchez, 58, prompting workers to scream for the driver to stop. Ramirez said she ran to her mother, who died in her arms as she called 911 for help.

As tragic as the death was, witnesses told The Times that they were further incensed when the workers at