The death toll linked to a faulty ignition switch in General Motors cars rose to 23, up by two from the week prior, according to Reuters, which reported on correspondence from the lawyer overseeing a program set up to compensate accident victims.
There have been 867 claims for compensation for serious injuries or deaths said to have been caused by the switch since Aug. 1. The claims had been received by the program, which is being overseen by lawyer Kenneth Feinberg. That figure is up from 850 last week.
As of Friday, the program decided that 23 of the 153 death claims were eligible, as well as 16 claims for serious physical injuries, according to the newest statistics provided by Feinberg's office. Those numbers were 21 and 16 last week, respectively.
GM has admitted that it knew about problem ignition switches in Chevrolet Cobalts and other small cars for more than 10 years. But the company didn't move to recall them until February of this year. The switches can slip out of the "on" position, causing the cars to stall, lose power steering and turn off the air bags, according to ABC News.
Feinberg, who has secured payments to victims of the BP oil spill and the 9/11 terrorist attacks, began accepting claims Aug. 1 with a deadline of Dec. 31. He has said that GM hasn't placed any limit on the amount of money that can be given out to the families and victims in the settlement. GM has allocated $400 million for compensation, but says that another $200 million could be added to the pot.
The family of a 7-year-old New Bethlehem, Pa., boy who was injured on Monday in a crash caused by a faulty switch accepted a settlement offer from Feinberg. Attorney Robert Hilliard said in a statement that the family of Trenton Buzard agreed to the offer of an undisclosed amount.
