As much as I'm one for advocating that a safety conscious mindset begins with knowledge and compliance with the rules under which we operate, the fact of the matter is "operational flexibility" intervenes which, for whatever reason, blurs the lines between what you can, and perhaps what you shouldn't, do. The pressure to get the job done, whether that pressure is real or implied, whether it comes from the employer, or the client, or from colleagues, or simply from oneself. The lines do get blurred out there in the operational space. That is, until one day you're faced with a situation that crystalizes those blurred lines into sharp reality and you wished you'd made a better choice earlier.
In the case of this twin-squirrel accident, the 5 victims were all family, heading to a family wedding. It is very sad and regrettable that they ended up where they did. Ultimately, the decisions that were made that put them where they were can't be taken back. Aviation can be unforgiving, sometimes you don't get a 2nd chance.