In 2004, two Santa Cruz sisters were killed when their rental car caught fire and collided with a truck head-on on Highway 101 near Bradley. The Chrysler PT Cruiser was rented out to the victims by Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Although the vehicle had been recalled a month prior to the accident due to a potential fire hazard, the rental company did not take it in for the appropriate repairs.
After the tragedy, the parents of the victims started working to push a bill that would force rental car companies to take recalled vehicles out of commission until repairs are made. The proposal steadily gained momentum and drew support from politicians, consumer advocacy groups, and even rental car companies.
The bill, named after the Santa Cruz sisters, faced no opposition in proceedings by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and was passed unanimously late July.
“No other parents should have to suffer such a horrific loss because a rental car company hasn’t bothered to get an unsafe recalled car repairs,” said the sisters’ mother. “If this bill had been in effect when my daughters rented that recalled car, they would still be alive today.”
The death of the Santa Cruz sisters is an unfortunate tragedy that could have been prevented if Enterprise Rent-A-Car was not so neglectful. The Santa Cruz wrongful death attorneys believe that such injustices should not go unpunished. We devote our knowledge and skills gained from years of practice to helping families gain compensation from dishonest companies that take the lives of innocent victims through reprehensible business practices. For more information on our firm and the services we provide, call us today.