A property owner had contracted a backhoe operator and a helper to assist him in digging a well. The excavation was 14 feet by 10 feet. The sides were not sloped nor were they shored up to prevent collapse. In the absence of the backhoe driver and helper, the owner was working at the bottom of the pit. The other two returned and saw no sign of the owner. One began digging by hand while the other ran for a shovel. The owner was found dead, buried under a cave-in. Well-digging on private land requires all the same safety precautions as any kind […]