The death toll from General Motor's faulty ignition switches has risen to 57 in the latest weekly tally released Monday.

A total of 57 deaths were deemed eligible for a payout, climbing by one from 56 the previous week. The number of eligible injury claims increased to 94 people from 87 the previous week.

A final tally likely won't be known for weeks as Washington D.C. attorneys Ken Feinberg and Camille Biros continue checking on eligibility. Feinberg and his aides are checking claims filed or postmarked before a Jan. 31 deadline to determine which are eligible for compensation. Each eligible death claim is worth at least $1 million under his guidelines. Feinberg was hired by GM to make payments.

GM fund established in Aug. 2014

GM established the fund in August after waiting more than 10 years to recall 2.6 million vehicles equipped with the faulty switch. Too much weight on or a jarring of the ignition key can move the switch from “run” to the “accessory” position thereby cutting power to air bags.

GM has set aside $400 million to pay for the fund and could tap an additional $200 million if needed. Those who accept payout offers from the fund must waive their rights to sue the auto maker.

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Jayleen R. Heft

Jayleen Heft is the digital content editor for PropertyCasualty360.com. Contact her at [email protected].

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