The GM ignition switch debacle / tragedy is far from over. There are outstanding civil and criminal investigations, individual and class action lawsuits, as well as what will be a large NHTSA fine sometime after the elections this fall.
In the latest posting on the GM Ignition Switch Claims website, 27 deaths are now listed as eligible for compensation as long as the recipient forfeits the right to further litigation. This is more than double the 13 deaths GM initially said last February that were involved after GM’s ten-year cover up of the ignition switch safety defect in a sordid corporate example of a complete disregard for human life.
Moreover, there are now 1378 claims against GM involving the ignition switch – including 278 alleged deaths, as well as so-called category 1 and category 2 filings. Cat 1 covers Quadriplegia, Paraplegia, Double Amputation, Permanent Brain Damage or Pervasive Burns, all likely injuries that could have been avoided or mitigated had anyone at GM did something about a problem that went back to the ignition switch design stage at the turn of the last century.
Cat 2 covers Physical Injuries requiring hospitalization or outpatient medical treatment within 48 hours of the accident where the ignition switch moved out of position thereby disabling the air bags. These are in the process of being evaluated.
Claims will be accepted until the end of this year. Eventually a final tally will emerge from this safety fiasco.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
