Widow Settles Enterprise Rent-A-Car Lawsuit; Offers Free Tire Tread Gauges to Prevent Deaths

EDINBURG, Texas, July 28 -- The following press release is being issued by the Law Office of Ricardo A. Garcia:

Enterprise Rent-A-Car has settled a wrongful death lawsuit in south Texas over its failure to inspect and maintain a safe depth of tread on its vehicles. It is the second worn tire case filed against Enterprise in the area in two years.

Johnny Arguelles, 34, of Edinburg, was killed on June 26, 2003, when the 2002 Chevy Silverado truck he had rented from an Enterprise agency spun out of control on a rain-slicked highway and struck another vehicle. A passenger in the Enterprise vehicle was also killed, and five persons in the second vehicle were injured, one child seriously.

An investigation showed the tires to be nearly threadbare, a condition that contributed to the accident, according to the police officer at the scene. (For more information go to http://www.ragarcialaw.com/ .)

In deposition testimony, Enterprise officials acknowledged they don't train or equip vehicle attendants to check for unsafe tire wear, instead relying on outside vendors to conduct routine maintenance based on warranty schedules, according to Rick Garcia, attorney for Nora Arguelles.

"The problem with relying on warranty schedules for safety is that all road conditions are not equal," Garcia said. "In south Texas, everyone knows that heat wears tires out faster, and there are other conditions across the country that would affect tires similarly," he noted.

"At minimum, service attendants at rental agencies should be given a tire gauge and trained to take proper tire tread readings. This should be as routine as checking to make sure the ash tray is emptied or the gas tank is full," Garcia noted.

Mrs. Arguelles and Garcia have offered to provide each of the 1,330 Enterprise offices in Texas with a $2.50 tire tread gauge using proceeds from the settlement. The offer has been made in a letter to Enterprise Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andrew C. Taylor.

"I know Johnny would approve of the offer," said Mrs. Arguelles, noting her husband had been chief diesel mechanic for a local car dealership at the time of his death.

In an injury lawsuit filed against Enterprise in November 2002 in south Texas, the tread on the rented vehicle measured 1/32-inch, Garcia said. That suit is pending.

Enterprise has about 120,000 vehicles for rent in Texas. It is the largest car rental company in North America.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact Mike Kelly, 512/327-6788