The death toll for General Motors’ defective ignition switch has officially hit triple digits, with 100 claims now approved by the attorney tasked with independently compensating victims.
Just over a year ago, GM claimed that the faulty ignition switch that affected 2.6 million vehicles could only be tied to 13 deaths. Since then, the number has skyrocketed, along with injury claims related to the defect. Currently 184 victims have been approved, 12 of which are considered “catastrophic”, which Automotive News describes as including “paralysis, amputation, severe burns or brain damage.”
January 31 was the deadline for victims and their families to file claims to attorney Kenneth Feinberg. He and his firm have received a total of 4,342, of which 626 are still under review and another 1,315 have been found “deficient”, meaning victims can submit more information to bolster their claims before undergoing another review.
Contact the author at damon@jalopnik.com.
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