if it is a tent follower, as an expmple, you will spawn right next to him, no matter what, and of course, he will normally be the first to open fire with his SMG/huntig rifle, and with bursters you will probably die right after he empties his second burst into you and against a sniper you will probably be knocked out... and stay the fuck down for the rest of your current life...
it is intentional since the party system is designed for cooperation, not for faceoffs