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Wed Oct 1 13:38:02 BST 2008

> I just worry that the arguments are not objective.
>

Actually you're asking that my argument be subjective.

>   I know that there are places in New Jersey that are as much as two hours
> from a trauma center in
> heavy traffic.  (20 minutes otherwise).  I believe there are too many
> helicopter flights but I do not believe that all of them are unnecessary.
>

I also believe that they have their place.  However, I also acknowledge the
fact that not every trauma patient needs a trauma center.

> You seem to be  against helicopters and your arguments may be right in some
> places at some times.
>

I'm not against helicopters (actually I like helicopters, but that is a
discussion for another day).  I am against the wasting of money, lives and
other resources on something that does not benefit the vast majority of
patients entering that aspect of the system.  If ground ambulances were
killing this many people annually because they were being aggregiously
overused I would be raising just as much hell to improve safety.

>  I wouldn't want to second guess folks who were actually looking at the
> weather when they made the decision to fly.
>

I do it all the time and the NTSB investigators have made a career of it.
It is a recurring problem- especially in circumstances where there is a
pressure, be it  extraneous or self-induced, to make it to the destination
(half jokingly known as "get-home-itis" in general aviation circles)- for
pilots to decide to fly in weather that was either completely inappropriate
or marginal to the point that it should have made one pause before calling
for taxi clearance.  You have to second guess it, just like a service would
be foolish not to conduct audit and review to assure personnel are providing
appropriate clinical care especially after it something goes wrong.

>  I know I saw different weather than the forecast you heard and much
> more  traffic than the norm for Saturday evening.
>

According to one of the reporters I talked to who lives in the area, the
storm remnants you referred to passed through the area the night before the
crash.  Once again, I also remind you that the traffic levels between the
interstate where you were and the local highway can vary significantly even
within a few miles of one another.

>  --
Stephen L. Richey, CRT
Aviation Injury Research Project Leader
Saginaw Valley State University
Work E-mail: slrichey at svsu.edu
Home Office Phone: 248-366-4452

 "It is the characteristic excellence of the strong man that he can bring
momentous issues to the fore and make a decision about them. The weak are
always forced to decide between alternatives they have not chosen
themselves."- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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