The renter of a PT Cruiser trapped in the Olympic National Park is still responsible for paying daily fees on the car, but he won”t owe as much as he had thought he would, said his wife on Thursday.
Claude Hite of Tampa Bay, Fla., was camping near the Hoh River campground on Nov. 6 when a storm gouged out a 75-foot-long and 25-foot wide gully in the road he’d driven to get to the campground.
He and a friend were stranded for two days before rangers escorted them out, leaving the car behind.
Hite had rented the car from Thrifty Car Rentals at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Thrifty Car Rental officials have offered to charge the Hites about $13 a day, said Hite’s wife, Pat.
That’s lower than the roughly $30 a day specified in his contract.
The couple — who plan to build a house and retire in Mason County — offered to appear in a commercial for the company to offset the charges, but the company showed little interest, Pat said.
“Absolutely no response whatsoever,” she said.
The Hites will also be responsible for damages to the car from sitting for so long and from “being attacked by elk,” Pat said with a laugh.