Lawyers hired to compensate victims of General Motors’ faulty ignition switches have rejected 91 percent of the claims submitted.
Camille Biros, deputy administrator of the fund, said Monday the claims that were rejected “couldn’t support any connection to the ignition switch”. The voluntary compensation fund was announced last summer, and detailed that GM would award $1 million for victims who were killed, $300,000 for the deceased victim’s spouse, and $300,000 for each surviving dependent.
GM is still under criminal investigation over the ignition switch situation, as the company waited nearly 10 years to recall the cars after signs of the faulty switches presented themselves.
Approved injury claims landed at 275 which is made up of 258 minor injuries and 17 serious injuries. Serious injuries are those that resulted in paraplegia, double amputation, permanent brain damage or pervasive burns.
The payouts for these victims vary and can exceed the money given for the death claims.
A GM spokesperson was not immediately available for comment. Minor-injury claimants are eligible for payments from $20,000 to $500,000, depending on the length of hospital stay.
As of Friday, the compensation fund led by lawyer Kenneth Feinberg had processed all 4,343 claims and determined that only 399 were eligible for compensation.