GM victim fund raises death toll to 50

General Motors’ victim fund has approved another death claim, bringing the total up to 50.
The program is currently reviewing another 67 claims related to fatal accidents, while dozens more could be considered if the applicants follow up with additional documentation.

Fund administrator Kenneth Feinberg has finally commented on the disparity between the compensation program’s numbers and GM’s own official death count, which still stands at 13.

“GM engineers were looking for definitive proof of ignition switch failure, so of course there will be a greater number of eligible death claims,” he wrote in an e-mail to Bloomberg.

The attorney also suggests GM’s initial allocation of $400-600 million “appears to be adequate” to cover the existing claims, though victims and families still have until the end of the week to file claims.