Hi folks, first post. I searched the foums but could not find an answer to this question. If there is another thread that addresses this question please point me in that direction. I have an inReach I use for backcountry travel. Awhile back I came across someone who was struggling to hike out. I was able to help them without using my inReach but it raised a question in my mind. If I were to activate my inReach for a stranger who required SAR or a Medivac could I be held responsible for any costs they could / would not cover themselves? I would like to think I would have no financial responsibility but given the cost of helo support am concerned. I currently do NOT have GEOS SAR or MEDIVAC on my plan.
No lawyers here (that I know of). And this is truly an ugly swamp.
You should probably check with GEOS and/or a lawyer. My layman's take would be that it's your device, you called for help, and so it's on you. Note that even with the supplementary "memberships" with GEOS, it's typically a personal membership. It wouldn't cover costs for someone else in your party, let alone a stranger.
You'd need a lawyer to tell for sure, but you might have legal recourse to recover costs from the other party. But probably only if you're willing to sue. Whole thing might also depend on local laws, which vary with jurisdiction. In some cases, you might even incur legal liability by not calling for help.
Hi all, I'm on a similar problem and contact Garmin to ask this: "Several times a year I'm going overlanding in Africa with my wife. With one Inreach unit, can I require SAR for her?" he answer is NO. Each unit is to be use on a person who is registered it.
So, If you call SAR for a stranger, you might pay all the expenses.
GEOS website had a family plan (or corporate plan) who helps in situations like this but only for people who is registered in that family plan with GEOS. I.E., for a family we need to have two plans: one plan when we activate Inreach and another, after that, to cover more people.
