Matthew - in this case there most certainly was someone else who could do the job - a helicopter at another base not that far away with better range due to a different fuel tank layout.
An injured crewman on a fishing boat 200 plus miles from land isn't going to get medical attention within the 'golden hour' so if it takes an extra 30 mins to get him off the boat he is still looking at 5 hours or so from the time of take-off - what is the point of trashing the aircraft just to save 20 or 30 mins?