How Sad, Rescuers Leave Man To Die In Shuttered Mine Shaft

Earlier this week, a man fell about 200 feet into an abandoned mine shaft and after two attempts to rescue the man, the rescuers decided it was too usafe to try and rescue the man and they let him dies in the mine shaft without making another rescue attempt.
From the Las Vegas Sun: A worker plunges deep into an abandoned mine shaft. Nearly 200 feet down, video images show he is injured but still breathing, trapped by debris.
The century-old shaft, though, is extremely unstable, its walls crumbling. As one rescuer tries to descend to reach the man, he is hit by a large rock, which splits his hard-hat. Other efforts yield more falling rocks and clear evidence: This is going to be a dangerous mission _ maybe too dangerous.
The scenario unfolded underneath Nevada last week, when rescue teams were told to stand down in their bid to reach Devin Westenskow, a 28-year-old father of five, even as they had evidence he was still alive.
But the ethical questions are more universal: How do you balance the desire to save a human being in peril with the equally important priority of keeping emergency workers safe and alive to rescue another day?
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/mar/06/us-mine-accident-playing-god-2nd-ld-writethru/
As a former volunteer firefighter, I have been on both ends- making a rescue and also seeing people die in a fire. No matter however you try and forget about the fire deaths, you can never forget about them.
And I am also sure the rescuers are going to have the same problem. Not only will the public second guess them, the rescuers will forever second guess themselves.
I really, really hope that the rescuers tried to reach out to everyone possible before calling off the rescue and letting Mr. Westenkow die.
The only second guessing I would have is why they didn't try and drill a second hole next to the mine shaft, like they do with kids when they fall in a well. I am sure this was considered and rejected, though I would love to know why it was rejected.
So, R.I.P Mr. Westenkow, I hope you, your family and rescuers find peace.