MADISON, Wis. -- The lessons from a tragic van crash near Janesville were enough to get two Madison women out of a dangerous situation.

The women smelled trouble with an out-of-state company that is recruiting in Wisconsin. They say the lure of easy money and travel made them sign up with the company that sells household spray cleaner. But when things turned bad, they blew the whistle and launched a state investigation.

The March 1999 Janesville accident killed and injured 12 young people, many of them under 18. They all worked for an out-of-state magazine subscription company. Two Madison women tell News 3 they remember the accident. But they didn't put two and two together before answering a tantalizing ad in the local newspaper.

"I fell prey," said Regan Cowan, who said the ad, from a Nebraska company, promised money, fun and travel in bold print.

Cowan and her best friend, Autumn Neitzel, agreed to sell door to door for the firm, but they said they had no idea the company could be similar to the one responsible for the deadly crash.

"They promise you everything," Cowan said. "But it's all empty promises. You'll end up broke and stranded."

The van crash didn't come to mind until after Cowan backed out at the last minute. But Neitzel began selling door to door in the Fox Valley for Sebastian Enterprises. Neitzel tells News 3 a warning sign was company managers offering booze and drugs to underage workers.

"There was a lot of drinking and a lot of people smoking weed," Neitzel said.

Neitzel also said despite walking 12 hours in one day, she didn't see a dime.

"They're offering you money and guaranteed set wages," she recalled. "And if you don't make a sale, you don't make any money at all."

"If I hadn't saw the ad then this wouldn't have happened to Autumn," Cowan said. "So I took it upon myself to go up to Appleton to pick her up because I wanted to see with my own eyes that she was alright."

Wisconsin Assistant Attorney General Michael Bauer believes the pair were simply lucky.

"I think they were fairly savvy and understood once they got into a bad situation, they tried to get themselves out of it as quickly as they can," he said.

Bauer tells News 3 the state is investigating the company for criminal, labor and consumer protection law violations including no licenses or permits to sell door to door.

When contacted by News 3, the company owner told us people are making allegations that aren't true.

But Cowan and Neitzel -- two women with bad experiences --said it can happen to anyone lured by money, fun and travel.

"Throw the newspaper away," said Cowan. "Cross out the ad. Do what you have to do. Just don't go with these people."

The Nebraska Attorney General's Office tells News 3 there are no complaints filed against Sebastian Enterprises.