By: Darrell Castle

General Motors expected to pay out $400 million in compensation claims, but that number could increase to $600 million.

Surely you remember the GM ignition switch debacle from last year. You know, the one where GM officials knew many of their makes of vehicles had a faulty ignition switch. And that this faulty ignition switch could shut the entire vehicle off…while it’s in use…disabling everything. Brakes. Airbags. Everything.

That seems very dangerous, and that’s because it is. Many people were seriously injured. Many people died.

With the high number of personal injury claims – and the PR nightmare – GM set up a compensation program to fund the injured victims and the families of lost loved ones.

The deadline to file a claim to be included in this program was January 31st. And – as with many similar compensation programs – there was an expected surge in claims in the final days.

This week, more than 1,100 claims were added to the GM compensation program. That brought the total to 4,180 claims – including 455 death claims.

It could be late Spring before the program can rule on these claims.

What Does this Mean for You?

You should use this as evidence that cars themselves can be just as dangerous – if not more dangerous – than the drivers operating them.

If you think you were injured in a car accident because your seatbelt messed up or your airbag didn’t deploy, you should speak to an attorney immediately.

Just be sure to keep in mind how difficult these cases can be. When you blame a car manufacturer for your injury, you’re attacking a very powerful establishment. Car companies will throw a lot of money towards defending their brand. Because of that, your injuries should be significant enough so that the risk is worth the reward.

We Can Help You

Darrell Castle & Associates has handled car accident cases of all shapes and sizes here in Memphis. And we’ve done it for decades.

Our detailed and responsive team is just what you need to feel confident that your case is handled the right way. You’re a real person, right? That’s how we’re going to treat you. Not like a case number.

That’s one of the many reasons why our staff has received multiple Client Distinction Awards from Martindale-Hubbell for client satisfaction.

You’re in good hands here.

How to Get in Touch With Us

You can get a FREE case evaluation today. All you have to do is call us at (901) 327-1212. Or you can fill out the contact form to the right of this page to have someone from our office contact YOU.