Recalls & Car Accidents Blog
Ford and Laurel Attorneys at Law,
San Antonio
GM’s Faulty Ignition Switch Victims May Still Be Unaccounted For
In February of this year, General Motors (GM) issued a recall due to faulty ignition switches.
The problem is that the faulty ignition switch could shut off the engine while driving, which could lead to serious accidents and the car airbags not deploying in the event of a crash.
Car recalls happen, but what makes this particular recall event so serious in nature is that the faulty ignition switch was known about by GM and not publicly disclosed until, some suggest, as much as a decade after the ignition switch problem was first discovered or known about. Therefore, it’s possible that a number of serious car accidents and resulting serious injuries and deaths have occurred as a direct result of GMs actions.
GM is already facing investigations from different directions, including a federal criminal probe. Despite official reports and statements, it is of course, very difficult to know the real reasons why GM didn’t notify the public sooner about the faulty ignition switches and how dangerous this problem is. But what is known is that there are real victims out there whose serious injuries and deaths have been linked to the faulty ignition switches, and which GM itself has even acknowledged.
Although GM has linked 13 deaths so far to the faulty ignition switch, the real number of deaths linked to the faulty ignition switch appears to be much higher. In fact, a recent Reuters report analyzed the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and found that at least 74 people have “died in GM cars in accidents with some key similarities to those that GM has linked to 13 deaths involving defective ignition switches.”
There are real costs, in human terms, to GM’s failure to act responsibly. At least a dozen families, and very likely many more, are mourning the loss of loved ones whose deaths could have been avoided had GM disclosed the faulty ignition switch much sooner. The question now becomes, how many families are now suffering as a result of GM’s actions?
The GM faulty ignition switch recall includes the Chevy Cobalt (2005 – 2010), Chevy HHR (2006 – 2011), Pontiac G5 (2007 – 2010), Pontiac Solstice (2006 – 2010), Saturn Ion (2003 – 2007), and Saturn Sky (2007 – 2010). Since more information has been released about the recall and the faulty ignition switch problem, it’s important for families or individuals who were involved in car accidents while driving the previously mentioned GM models to come forward and tell their stories.
As time goes on, more people will come forward to seek the truth about the real reason why they are now suffering. It’s very clear that action needs to be taken by those who believe their or their loved one’s car accident was the result of a faulty ignition switch.
What should you do if you or a loved one was seriously injured or worse in a car accident which you suspect was due to a faulty ignition switch? The answer is to seek professional legal counsel as soon as possible from experienced attorneys who can find the truth and who will fight for you.
GM needs to be held accountable for the pain and suffering which a number of families across the country are now dealing with. Now is the time for families to act. GM’s faulty ignition switch victims may still be unaccounted for, and if you believe that you or your loved one was a victim, then now is the time to speak with someone who can help.