Daresha Garmon, a South Florida woman, filed a lawsuit against the Enterprise car rental company, claiming staff lost her mother’s urn after the car she was transporting it in was involved in an accident on Interstate 95, per Local News 10.
Garmon claims Enterprise failed to respond to her pleas for assistance and denied responsibility for the urn which went missing during the incident, according to Local News 10. Garmon’s connection to her mother’s ashes runs deep, as she received them as an 18th birthday gift from her grandmother, per the outlet. Garmon’s mother, Livia Alexander, lost her life in a drive-by shooting in 2000. For years, the urn containing her ashes provided Garmon with a sense of solace and a connection to her mother, according to Local 10.
In the wake of the car accident, which took place in Miami-Dade County, Garmon was reportedly left injured and traumatized, per the outlet. She reportedly reached out to Enterprise immediately, saying she wanted to retrieve her mother’s urn from the vehicle. Promises were allegedly made, but Garmon claims the company’s response fell far short of her expectations, per the outlet. (RELATED: ‘Violently Ill’: Woman Sues Chick-Fil-A Over ‘Black’ Chicken Nugget)
LOCAL 10 INVESTIGATES: A South Florida woman says her mother’s ashes are gone, possibly discarded by a car rental company following a crash on Interstate 95. https://t.co/M4zjFtHhZx
— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) October 28, 2023
Despite her efforts to contact the Enterprise branch manager, she allegedly received no response, according to Local 10. Only after she threatened to take legal action did she manage to get the branch manager, Cheetara Brunson, on the phone, per the outlet. Garmon recounted the conversation, saying, “She said, ‘Well, the car has been auctioned off.’ I said, ‘What?!’ She said, ‘The car was auctioned off.’ I said, ‘What do you mean?’ I just hung up and went to the branch immediately. I said, ‘What do you mean? Look me in the face and tell me the car was auctioned off.’ I said, ‘Where is my stuff?’ ‘We don’t know.'”
Attorney Daren Stabinski is representing Garmon in the lawsuit against Enterprise. He cited the sentimental value of the lost urn, noting that Florida law allows a jury to consider this aspect.
Enterprise Rent-a-Car provided no comment on the pending litigation, per the outlet.