GM Ignition Deaths Swell to 97 People

2009 Pontiac Solstice (Credit: GM)

General Motors has survived the ground-shaking ignition switch recall, which was complicated by a cocktail of incompetence and alleged cover-ups. Unfortunately, many people didn’t live through the aftermath. According to a new report from The Detroit News, the automaker’s ignition switch compensation fund ushered in seven more fatality claims, bringing the total to 97 individuals.

Also added to the fund were 16 new injury claims, pumping up that number to 179. Sadly, 12 of those are for serious injuries. The Detroit News says that the swell of numbers is the biggest increase the program has seen in a single week’s time.

There is a chance that more deaths and injuries will be added to the list. The public was able to file final claims by January 31 of this year. Because of a rush of new claims filed right before the deadline, the earliest the staff is expected to rule on all claims is the late part of the spring. At the cutoff, 4,342 were submitted, with 474 being for deaths. There are 669 cases still being reviewed, which includes 45 fatalities. Also reported is that of the 167 offers made by the fund, 113 have been accepted and five so far have been rejected.

Each death claim is costing GM no less than $1 million. The automaker projected it will pay about $550 million total, which is significantly more than the $400 million it initially predicted.

Included in the death and injury totals are people who weren’t even riding in a GM vehicle that malfunctioned. For example, pedestrians who were hit by an out-of-control car have been let into the compensation fund.

One of the most damning details that has emerged from the ignition switch investigation is that GM successfully put off recalling any vehicles for almost ten years, once various employees noticed the error. Miraculously, the automaker has seen strong sales despite a surge of recalls during 2014 as it has successfully convinced the public that the “new GM” has turned over a new leaf.