I've stayed out of this one but finally felt compelled to post. My first thought is that none of you have enough facts to make some of the judgements you've posted. Second, Hummoron & others make some valid points (his H2 bashing & callousness notwithstanding). Third, are we evaluating H2s, OnStar or Emergency Services? And forth, my opinion is based on what I've read here, not on investigative facts. I have to equate this to my experience in aviation and since credentials seem to be playing a part I'll start there:
1) 35 yrs flying experience - personal/professional. Ratings not important. 2) Chief pilot/chief flight instuctor/chief check pilot. 3) Accident prevention counselor - Federal Aviation Administration. 4) Investigator/expert witness aviation litigation
With that said, my conclusion will be brief. Regardless of how many qualified individuals there are onboard an airplane, there's only one PIC (pilot in command) and he/she is soley responsible for the outcome of the flight. Same holds true with automobiles. Whoever is driving the vehicle is ultimately responsible for the outcome, period. Others may play a part but only contributory. Take the case of the 1978 USAC aviation accident where many of the officials were killed in a chartered flight from Trenton to Indy. I both investigated & testified in that accident. The PIC was a friend of mine. Both the FAA and the National Weather Bureau were sued in this accident and were found negligent & contributory, but the cause of accident was still judged to be PIC error. He had 60,000 hours flight time but still made a bad judgement that cost many lives. As for this H2 incident, it appears clear that the driver made some very bad judgements, and paid the price along with his passenger. To somehow infer that OnStar, EMS or Rangers caused these deaths is ludicrous. However, if the investigation ultimately shows that they were in fact somehow negligent in carrying out their duties in accordance with the standards set for them, they too will pay a price. And if that proves true, new standards will be set that will possibly save lives in the future. But make no mistake, there's a huge difference between the responsibility of preventing the accident and trying to save lives after the fact.
On a personal note I have to add that it's time people start taking responsibility for their own actions and stop blaming everyone else. The schools are full of it, the courts are full of it and so is society in general. We look in all directions to find someone we can blame for our own decisions. Adam made bad judgements and paid for it. That's the way life works. It won't be the first or the last time. The unfortunate part is that someone else paid a price too.
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Jonahs
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