Deaths From GM Ignition Switch Defect Exceed Initial Estimate

The number of people who've died in connection to GM's failed ignition switch and are eligible for compensation is higher than GM's initial estimate and will likely increase further, according independent administrators handling the claims process, and may include a Wisconsin teenager.

GM had previously estimated that at least 13 deaths resulted from its defective ignition switches, but Ken Feinberg, who's the independent administrator of GM's compensation program, and his deputy administrator, Camille Biros, today said 19 deaths are eligible for a claim.

'That's only our first report,' Biros told ABC News. 'This is an ongoing process.'

Biros explained that the families of the 19 who died and are eligible for a claim have not yet been contacted. Ken Rimer, whose stepdaughter Natasha Weigel died from a car crash that involved a Chevy Cobalt in 2006, said he is 'fairly confident' Natasha is included in that count of 19.

Weigel, then 18, was not included in GM's initial estimate of 13 deaths because she had been sitting in the rear seat of the car crash.

Weigel's friend, Megan Phillips, 17, was behind the wheel of the 2005 Chevy Cobalt when the vehicle's ignition switch turned from the 'run' position to the 'accessory' position, leading the car to lose all power steering, power braking and the airbag's ability to deploy, according to their families.

Their 15-year old friend Amy Rademaker, who was included in GM's count of 13, was in the front passenger seat and died one week before her 16th birthday.

Feinberg had scheduled to meet with Rimer's family attorney last month, but Rimer said he and his wife asked to be present to speak with Feinberg as well.

'Natasha was her only child,' Rimer said of his wife. 'So she lost her whole future life in being a mother of the bride, being a grandmother -- things like that you can't put on a piece of paper. We described what happened at the hospital. It brought a tear to his eye and it was truthful and honest. It's hard to describe the loss of a child to someone on a piece of paper.'

The overall compensation program, which launched Aug. 5, is open for submission until Dec. 31 through GMIgnitionCompensation.com. Biros declined to comment on whether the 13 deaths that GM counted were included in today's total of 19, citing the program's confidentiality.

'We will expect to get a significant number of claims from now until end of submission process,' she said, adding that some families have received letters requesting more information because their submissions were deficient.

Biros says the claim program had received 445 applications for compensation from GM, as of Sept. 12, including 125 claims that a death resulted from GM's ignition switch defect. Feinberg was hired to design the submission and settlement process of the related death and physical injury claims. He previously administered the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001, the One Fund Boston 2013 Victim Relief Fund and the Gulf Coast Claims Facility.

In addition to the 19 deaths, the program announced that there were four claims eligible that resulted in a 'category one' injury: quadriplegia, paraplegia, double amputation, permanent brain damage or pervasive burns. There were an additional eight claims categorized as 'category two,' which required hospitalization.

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