I'm sorry about your friends. :-( It does seem like it's not if, but when you'll have a good scare in 'em. I think a lot of it is the particular type of flying too, which increases the risk for wire strikes, etc. Also the pressure a lot of them are under to fly in bad conditions for EMS and ENG missions, for example...

I remember a pilot saying that he had a passenger once who saw a wire and, somewhat startled, the pilot confirmed that he then also saw it below them. Then the passenger said no, it was above them. ;eekr;