The parents of two women who were killed in a car accident have been awarded $15 million in a wrongful death lawsuit against Enterprise Rent-A-Car. According to a news report in the Ventura County Star, Raechel and Jackie Houck died after their rented PT Cruiser slammed into a big rig on Highway 101 near King City on October 7, 2004. The sisters were 24 and 20 years old at the time. The lawsuit alleged that Enterprise rented the car although there was a vehicle defect recall because of a faulty power steering hose that could lead to fires under the hood.

Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Enterprise attorneys attempted to argue that it was Raechel's driving and not the auto product defect that caused the crash. Shortly before the trial began, Enterprise officials admitted responsibility and made an offer to settle the lawsuit for $3 million. But the family did not accept that settlement. The wrongful death case went to trial and the jury awarded the parents of the deceased women $15 million.

As part of the trial, an Enterprise employee testified that it was the company's practice to rent out recalled vehicles. This was especially true, he told jurors, when they did not have enough cars and there was a lot of demand for vehicles. The sisters were given the PT Cruiser, which they were told, was a "free upgrade."

Holding Wrongdoers Accountable

My heart goes out to the parents, Chuck and Cally Houck. Obviously, Enterprise officials put profits over the well-being of their customers. They knew fully well that they were given the women a defective auto, a vehicle that had been recalled for a serious defect. Enterprise later removed these and other recalled vehicles from their fleet. However, it was too late for Houcks and others who have lost loved ones or sustained catastrophic injuries as a result of such unethical business practices.

There is no question that these businesses must be challenged and held accountable. Chuck and Cally Houck did the right thing by taking Enterprise to court. This is typical of what we see in corporate America today where companies continually place profit over the safety of their consumers. We have seen it ourselves with Enterprise where we caught them creating their rental fleet with vehicles that lacked safety options just to save money. This type of conduct is despicable and should not be tolerated. I'm glad to see that this jury saw that Enterprise does not care about the safety of its customers and issued a verdict against the company. It is a shame, however, that it came the cost of the lives of two young women.

What precautionary steps do you take before renting a car? What types of questions would you ask?

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