On March 13, General Motors, Inc. (GM) settled out of court with the parents of a Georgia woman killed in a 2010 auto accident caused by the company’s faulty ignition switch.
This is the second time the family of Brooke Melton, a 29-year-old pediatric nurse, has filed suit against GM for the role it played in her death. The Melton’s originally brought the wrongful death claim in 2013, when it settled for $5 million. However, after additional information came to light regarding a possible cover up by GM, the Melton family was once again awarded damages, this time an undisclosed amount, for their anguish.
Engineers hired by Brookes family’s legal counsel found that GM in fact did alter the design of the switches after finding problems with them but failed to alert regulators and appropriately note the changes. According to the Melton family’s suit, Brookes crash happened when the ignition in her Chevrolet Cobalt cut out while she was driving it, disabling breaks, steering and the vehicles airbags. Brookes sedan struck another vehicle and she was unable to stop it from happening.
The attorney assigned to GMs victim compensation fund, Kenneth Feinberg, is said to have played an active role in negotiating the settlement. GM had no comment about the settlement and claimed it wished to protect plaintiffs privacy.
According to the most recent figures and a report by ABC News, Feinberg has come to agreements with 64 individuals who brought claims of wrongful death in connection with the faulty switches. Another 108 settlements have been negotiated over injuries from the same.
If you lost a loved one because of GMs faulty ignition switch, or if you were injured in an auto accident while in a GM vehicle, there is still time to file a claim for compensation.
The deadline to join the victim compensation fund has expired but you may still file a suit against GM for what was taken from you.
Our vehicle crash lawyers in Fort Worth are prepared to represent you in or out of court. Contact the GM recall lawyers at Anderson, Cummings & Drawhorn today.
Call (817) 920-9000 and speak to a lawyer at our firm, today.