Deaths Due to GM Faulty Ignitions at 45

At least 45 people have died and 68 have been injured in crashes involving General Motors cars with defective ignition switches, according to Attorney Kenneth Feinberg, who was hired by GM to compensate victims.

As of mid-January, Feinberg had received 303 death claims and 2,407 injury claims. With 738 still to be reviewed, 112 claims have been found eligible for compensation.

GM was aware of faulty ignition switches in its Chevrolet Cobalts and other small cars for more than a decade, but it didn’t recall them until 2014. The switches can slip out of the “on” position, causing the cars to stall, knocking out power steering and turning off the air bags.

Claims were accepted until Jan. 31.