>> He could have refused the second ride. You can refuse transport or medical care at any time as long as you are able to make rational decisions.

Disagreed. Someone who is cogent and not intoxicated and not a stroke victim can't always make the best choices. Your decision making can be compromised by I dunno the fucking pain of a broken toe bone.

Seeking help should not be interpreted as a sign of weakness and made into a maze where only the most rational can escape with minimal bills. The longer we leave this cognitive dissonance where the land of the free roughly translates to land of the free to get fucked we are going to continue to have instability.