Johnston v. Billot

This appeal arises after retrial of a wrongful death action caused by a trench cave-in. It is familiar to our reports. The sequence began when defendant, an excavation contractor, was hired to excavate a trench on the premises of the Sunset Trailer Park in Sandusky, Michigan. The excavation was part of a planned expansion of the trailer park, which required that a trench be dug from the existing septic system to the expansion sewer line.

The owner of the trailer park, Thomas Boyle, hired the prior owner, O. J. Campbell, to supervise the work involved in the expansion of the trailer park.…