GM Ignition Switch Death Toll Climbs to 52
The number of deaths attributed to faulty ignition switches in small GM cars has risen to 52.
So far, 52 death and 79 injury claims have been approved for compensation from a fund setup by GM. The number of approvals is expected to continue to rise as 57 new claims were received by fund-head Kenneth Feinberg’s office in the final days before the Jan.31 deadline. In total, 4,237 claims have been submitted, including 462 death claims.
SEE ALSO: GM Ignition Switch Death Toll Hits 51, Expected to Continue Rising
It will be “very late spring” before every single one of the claims can be handled according to Feinberg. Many of the late claims were made with little to no paperwork which will prolong the process. So far, 482 of the claims have been deemed ineligible for compensation. All approved death claims will receive at least $1 million.
GM expects the compensation program to cost between $400 and $600 million, while a regulatory filing last Wednesday shows that GM has paid $93 million so far.
[Source: Detroit News]
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Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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