General Motors Ignition Switch Death Toll Rises to 109

Jun 02, 2015 07:15 AM EDT | Matt Mercuro

The GM Ignition Compensation Claims Resolution Facility approved two more claims this week linked to defective ignition switches, raising the current total to 109 deaths.

The office of attorney Kenneth Feinberg also approved of nine more injury claims as of May 29, raising the total to 208 approved injury claims, according to the latest claims report.

At least 12 of those claims are for serious or catastrophic injuries and 196 are for minor injuries requiring hospitalization or outpatient medical treatment within 48 hours of the accident.

The fund received approximately 4,342 claims by the Jan. 31 deadline, and 322 are still under review. Feinberg's office is hoping to finish compensating victims by this fall.

In 2014, GM recalled 30 million cars, 2.6 million of which contained faulty ignition switches that can be moved out of the "run" position, thus turning off the power steering, air bags or brakes.

GM reportedly knew about the issue for more than a decade before the company started calling back vehicles.

Of the claims received by Feinberg's office, 1,432 were deemed "Deficient," which means the person or family who filed the claim can still submit more documentation. Another 2,200 have been found "Ineligible" as of Friday and 71 claims were submitted without any documentation, according to the resolution facility.

The Detroit automaker set aside $550 million in order to compensate victims this year though Feinberg has publicly stated there is no cap on the amount his office can spend to compensate victims.

Those who decide to accept an offer made by Feinberg agree to waive their right to sue GM.

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