General Motors’ defective ignition switches are now linked to 111 deaths, up two more from a week ago, the office administering GM’s compensation fund said.
Attorney Kenneth Feinberg was hired by GM last year to independently compensate the victims of crashes caused by the ignition switches that triggered the recall of more than 2.6 million vehicles in 2014.
Feinberg’s office also approved 12 more injury claims as of Friday.
GM originally said it knew of only 13 deaths linked to the switches, which can be knocked out of the “run” position by a knee or a heavy keychain, cutting power to the engine and power steering.
Of the 220 approved injury claims, 13 are for serious or catastrophic injury and 207 are for minor injuries that required hospitalization or outpatient medical treatment within 48 hours of the accident.
Victims were required to file claims by Jan. 31, and Feinberg’s office has said it expects to complete its review this summer.
Of the 4,342 total claims submitted, Feinberg’s office found 2,357 ineligible, 191 are still under review and another 70 were submitted with no documentation. The remaining 1,393 submitted claims were found “deficient,” which means claimants can still submit further documentation to support their claim.
