Deaths from GM Ignition Switch Defect Exceed Initial Estimate - East Idaho News
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Deaths from GM Ignition Switch Defect Exceed Initial Estimate

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051614 generalmotors?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1410795730423General Motors(NEW YORK) — The number of people who’ve died in connection to GM’s failed ignition switch and are eligible for compensation is higher than the automaker’s initial estimate and will likely increase further, according to independent administrators handling the claims process.

GM had previously estimated that at least 13 deaths resulted from its defective ignition switches, but Ken Feinberg, who’s the independent administrator of GM’s compensation program, and his deputy administrator, Camille Biros, on Monday said 19 deaths are eligible for a claim.

“That’s only our first report,” Biros told ABC News. “This is an ongoing process.”

Biros explained that the families of the 19 who died and are eligible for a claim have not yet been contacted.

The overall compensation program, which launched on Aug. 5, is open for submission until Dec. 31 through GMIgnitionCompensation.com. Biros declined to comment on whether the 13 deaths that GM counted were included in Monday’s total of 19, citing the program’s confidentiality.

“We will expect to get a significant number of claims from now until end of submission process,” she said, adding that some families have received letters requesting more information because their submissions were deficient.

Biros says the claim program had received 445 applications for compensation from GM, as of Sept. 12, including 125 claims that a death resulted from GM’s ignition switch defect.

Feinberg was hired to design the submission and settlement process of the related death and physical injury claims. He previously administered the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001, the One Fund Boston 2013 Victim Relief Fund and the Gulf Coast Claims Facility.

In addition to the 19 deaths, the program announced that there were four claims eligible that resulted in a “category one” injury: quadriplegia, paraplegia, double amputation, permanent brain damage or pervasive burns. There were an additional eight claims categorized as “category two,” which required hospitalization.

In a statement from a GM spokesman, the company said, “We have previously said that Ken Feinberg and his team will independently determine the final number of eligible individuals, so we accept their determinations for the compensation program. What is most important is that we are doing the right thing for those who lost loved ones and for those who suffered physical injury.”

While there is no payment range for death and category-one claims, the amount paid to category-two victims will be based on length of hospital stay, among other factors.

“The deceased and category-one claims are all individualized,” Biros said.

The final payment offer for the death claims will depend on earnings and the noneconomic impact on the deceased’s family members, an arduous process that is just beginning, she said.

“This is just a snapshot in time in terms of where we are in eligibility,” Biros said, describing Monday’s announcement.

She said she hopes to release a weekly update on the program’s statistics each Monday.

The submission process can be an emotional process that can include working with claimants lawyers, if they have any, to make sure they submitted all documentation about the car crash and individual.

“We have a whole lot of work to do in reviewing the other documentation for submitted claims,” Biros said.


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