Because the Chevy Cobalt and Saturn Ion were marketed as entry-level vehicles which appealed to young, first-time buyers, a significant portion of crash victims were young people like Natasha Weigel, a Minnesota woman who was killed in a 2006 accident involving a Cobalt with a faulty ignition switch

In response to questioning by Klobuchar, a key official overseeing the compensation process for GM said that compensation for younger crash victims will be generous and appropriate 

Klobuchar also pressed GM’s CEO on a Wisconsin State Trooper’s report about the crash that killed Natasha Weigel which clearly made the link between the defective ignition switch and the failure of the airbag to deploy; despite having this information in its possession since 2007, GM failed to act on the report

Washington, D.C. – At a Commerce Subcommittee hearing today on the General Motors recall, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) today pushed to ensure that families of young crash victims receive justice. Because the Chevy Cobalt and Saturn Ion were marketed as entry-level vehicles which appealed to young, first-time buyers, it’s believed that a significant portion of crash victims were young people like Natasha Weigel, a Minnesota woman who was killed in a 2006 accident involving a Cobalt with a faulty ignition switch. In response to questioning from Klobuchar, a key official overseeing the compensation process for GM said that compensation for younger crash victims will be generous and appropriate. Klobuchar also pressed GM’s CEO on a Wisconsin State Trooper’s report about the crash that killed Natasha Weigel which clearly made the link between the defective ignition switch and the failure of the airbag to deploy. Despite having this information in its possession since 2007, GM failed to act on the report.

“Because so many of the crash victims were young people like Natasha, we need to ensure that their families are compensated fairly and without undue burdens,” Klobuchar said. “At today’s hearing GM committed to providing fair compensation to these families, and I’ll keep pushing to make sure they follow through on that commitment. We also need to determine how GM failed to connect the dots about the faulty ignition switches even though the company had evidence that they were defective and dangerous.”

Witnesses at the hearing included: Kenneth R. Feinberg, Founder and Managing Partner, Feinberg Rozen, LLP; Mary T. Barra, Chief Executive Officer, General Motors Company; Michael P. Millikin, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, General Motors Company; Anton R. Valukas, Chairman of the Firm, Jenner & Block; and Rodney O’Neal, Chief Executive Officer and President, Delphi Automotive PLC, Gillingham.

At a Commerce Committee hearing earlier this year, Klobuchar urged Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to work quickly to find out why NHTSA waited to respond to mounting evidence linking GM cars to fatal crashes, including the crash that killed Natasha Weigel. Klobuchar has also questioned GM’s CEO and NHTSA officials about why they failed to act more aggressively in the face of mounting evidence of defective ignition switches.

Broadcast-quality video of Klobuchar’s remarks area available here.

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