GM Compensation Fund for Special Victims of GM Faulty Ignition Switches Receive More Personal Injury Claims Than Expected

On Monday, August 11th, General Motors reported that their GM compensation fund, set up for victims of the delayed faulty ignition switch vehicle recall, had received more claims than anticipated – a total of 135 personal injury claims, almost half of which were wrongful death claims.

According to Camille Biros, spokeswoman for fund manager and attorney Kenneth Feinberg, the total number of wrongful death claims related to the GM ignition switch defect is 65. That number is much higher than GM’s original statement at the beginning of the vehicle recall – the automaker claimed that 13 people had died over a 10-year span during which it failed to issue a vehicle recall for its faulty ignition switches.

Biros stressed that there is “no correlation, and none should be drawn, from the number of claims ‘received’ to the number of claims that will ultimately be deemed eligible.” The ignition switch fund has set strict parameters for claimants, and the team will now decide which claims fit the terms of the vehicle recall GM compensation fund, and which do not.

“As you can imagine there will be a number of claims submitted for a non-eligible vehicle, etc,” Biros wrote.

However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated that “it’s likely more than 13 lives were lost.”

Colorado Family Files Vehicle Recall Personal Injury Lawsuit Against GM

As General Motors faces international scrutiny over its failure to keep consumers safe, a family in Colorado has filed an individual personal injury lawsuit against the automotive manufacturer, claiming that the faulty ignition switch caused a girl’s car accident last year.

Plaintiffs Joseph Hamilton and his daughter Stephanie filed the suit in the first week of August, alleging that Stephanie’s 2006 Chevy Cobalt had a faulty ignition switch which caused her to run off the road. In December 2013, she was driving down Interstate 70 and a gust of wind forced her slightly off the road – a problem she and her father both state that she could have handled, but the ignition switch turned to the “off” position and Stephanie lost steering and brakes on the vehicle.

“The car started to spin out of control and I continued to try to turn the steering wheel as much as I could to get out of it and I realized the steering wheel was not moving,” said Stephanie.

Her car slammed into an embankment. The airbags also failed to deploy, another problem caused by the faulty ignition switches. Stephanie was able to walk away from the accident, but she was shaken.

“She just said she was scared and you don’t want to hear that from your daughter because I’m supposed to protect her,” said Joseph. “It’s so disturbing that GM didn’t think that my daughter was worth a 50-cent part.”

The Strom Law Firm Can Help with Defective Products and Vehicle Recall Cases

If you have experienced a problem with a defective product in your automobile, especially if a defective part has led to an auto accident or personal injury, and a proper vehicle recall notice has not been issued, you may be entitled to compensation. The attorneys at the Strom Law Firm can help. We can help you with complicated auto insurance claims, and make sure you receive the compensation you deserve to help you with lost income and medical bills. Our attorneys are licensed to practice in South Carolina, Georgia, and New York. We offer free, confidential consultations to discuss the facts of your case. Contact us today at (803) 252-4800.