GM Ignition Switch Death Toll Rises to 42

Ten months into the General Motors ignition switch recall investigation, 42 deaths have now been attributed to vehicles manufactured with GM’s defective switches. The faulty switches, installed in vehicles for more than a decade before being recalled, can easily slip out of the “on” position, knocking out power to the steering wheel and the vehicle’s airbags. Since August 2014, over 2,300 injury and death claims have been submitted; 100 of which have been deemed eligible to collect from a $400 million fund administered by Kenneth Feinberg, an attorney hired by GM to facilitate the compensation process. Feinberg recently extended the claims deadline to January 31, 2015.