97 Families Now Approved for Compensation from GM’s Defective Ignition Switch Crisis

General Motors’ ignition switch death toll is on the rise—reaching 97 people this week. The automaker, accused of covering up defects in its ignition switches that can slip out of the “on” position when driving and cause cars to crash, has approved compensation for these 97 families who lost loved ones due to the delayed recall. In addition to the fatalities, 179 injured victims were also approved for payments from GM’s compensation fund. GM is working through processing the 4,342 injury and death claims it received—roughly 15% are still under review.