GM Ignition Switch Death Toll Hits Awful Milestone

(RTTNews) - The total number of deaths related to General Motors Co.'s (GM) defective ignition switches has risen by three from last week to hit an awful milestone of 100, according to an update from the fund created to compensate victims. This is far more than the 13 deaths the automaker had admitted last year.

According to the latest weekly update released by Kenneth Feinberg, who was hired by GM to independently administer the GM Ignition Compensation Fund for the victims, it has so far been determined that 100 deaths, 12 crippling injuries such as brain damage, and 172 other injuries requiring hospitalization within 48 hours of the accident were eligible for compensation.

The total number of claims received by GM Ignition Compensation Claims Resolution Facility were 4,342, including 474 related to deaths.

The report said 1,799 claims have been deemed ineligible. In addition, 626 claims, including 37 death claims, were under review. Another 1,315 claims have been submitted with insufficient paperwork or evidence, and 318 had no documentation at all.

The Facility began accepting claims on August 1, 2014. The claim filing deadline passed on January 31, 2015, but any claims postmarked by that date are eligible for review. GM has refused to extend the deadline further.

GM has recalled 2.6 million vehicles since February 2014 over problems with the ignition switch. The largest U.S. automaker was aware of faulty ignition switches on Chevrolet Cobalts and other small cars for more than a decade, but it did not recall them until 2014.

GM CEO Mary Barra had dismissed 15 employees and took disciplinary action against 5 other employees, after internal investigations reported a "pattern of incompetence and neglect."

The Detroit, Michigan-based automaker is under investigation by U.S. Congress, regulators and the U.S. Justice Department over issues related to the faulty ignition switch.