Enterprise Rent-A-Car has been told by a jury that it must pay $15 million to the parents of two sisters who died whilst driving one of their hire vehicles. The jury made their decision after hearing that the Chrysler PT Cruiser in which the girls were driving had been recalled by the manufacturer because of safety concerns.

After leaving their mother’s house, Raechel Houck, who was driving with her sister Jacqueline, apparently lost control of the Chrysler PT, crossed the road’s central reservation and collided with a truck coming in the opposite direction. The car then burst into flames and neither girl survived.

Attorneys for the girl’s parents say that experts have confirmed that the accident occurred after leaking fluid from the vehicle’s power steering system caused Raechel to lose control of the car. A month before the vehicle was rented Chrysler had issued a recall notice for 435,000 PT Cruisers manufactured between 2002 and 2005 because there were safety issues concerning the power steering hose and leakage.

According to records, the Chrysler the Houck sisters had been given had not been repaired and had been rented out a total of four times since the recall had been issued. Enterprise initially said that the crash was the result of Raechel’s driving. However, according to the parent’s lawyer, Lawrence Grassini, the company also offered to pay $3 million if the matter was kept confidential.

Cally Houck, the girl’s mother, said that she had not wanted Enterprise to silence her, and that the company would have to take responsibility for its actions.