April 14, 2015—The death toll from General Motors’ defective ignition switch has risen by four from a week earlier to 84, the office administrating GM’s compensation fund said.
The office of attorney Kenneth Feinberg, who is overseeing victim compensation on GM’s behalf, has approved 84 death claims and 157 injury claims as of April 10. The 157 injury claims, 11 more than the prior week, are a combination of claims for serious injuries and claims for less severe injuries.
Eleven claims were categorized as serious injuries resulting in quadriplegia, paraplegia, double amputation, permanent brain damage or pervasive burn. The remaining 146 claims were for less serious injuries requiring hospitalization or outpatient medical treatment within 48 hours of the accident. GM estimated that it will pay out $400 million to $600 million to compensate victims through Feinberg’s program.
