By June of 2014, General Motors (GM) announced a recall of over 28 million vehicles due to a critical defect that has caused a number of crashes and injuries. A lawyer in Texas has filed a personal injury lawsuit against GM on behalf of 658 individuals that died or were injured in recalled GM vehicles.

Vehicles Involved in the General Motors Recalls

The GM recall affects older model sedans that experience a key rotation while driving. The cars would shut off while driving, disabling power steering and preventing the airbags from inflating upon impact.

Cars that were affected are mostly Saturn Ions and Chevrolet Cobalts, as well as:

• 1997-2005 Chevrolet Malibu
• 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala
• 1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrique
• 2004-2006 Cadillac SRX

GM has claimed responsibility for the deaths of 3 people and 14 accidents related to the Ion-Cobalt recall. The auto maker is only accepting responsibility for head-on collisions where the deployment of the airbag was a factor in the death.

A victim's compensation fund was established by General Motors to accept claims for those that had been affected by recalled vehicles. The fund is limited to 2.59 million Saturn Ions, Chevrolet Cobalts, and other GM vehicles with the faulty ignition switch and disabled airbags. Beginning August 1, those affected can file for restitution up until December 31.

Lawsuit on Behalf of Injury Victims

The lawsuit, filed in New York, represents the 29 families that are affected by a death due to faulty vehicles and 629 others that were injured as a result. 156 individuals are ineligible for GM's victim's compensation fund, but the attorney alleges that all injuries were caused by the same ignition switch defect.

GM's bankruptcy claim protects it from some liability claims. The attorney is claiming that GM's bankruptcy protection claims do not apply since the crashes related to the recall occurred before the auto manufacture claimed bankruptcy in 2009. GM is only waiving bankruptcy for the vehicles addressed in the compensation fund, but claiming bankruptcy for the other pre-2009 vehicle crashes.

The victim's compensation fund does not apply to those whose airbags inflated in an ignition-switch related crash or to those that were in other GM-recalled vehicles outside of the compensation fund detail.

The GM recall has affected 24.6 million vehicles in the United States. The company is facing federal investigations, as well as personal injury, class action, and shareholder lawsuits outside of the one filed on behalf of 658 affected individuals nationwide. If you or someone you love is entitled to compensation from General Motors, contact a personal injury lawyer today.