GM Confirms Texas Accident Linked To Faulty Ignition Switch

By Jeff Bennett 

General Motors Co. has confirmed that the car accident involving a Texas woman, who later plead guilty to criminal negligent homicide in her fiancé's death, is among those linked to the company's faulty ignition switch issue.

A confirmation email, sent Sunday by a GM lawyer, came hours before Candice Anderson's attorney is set to ask a judge to clear Ms. Anderson's criminal record. Attorney Bob Hilliard will argue the request in a hearing Monday morning.

"Candice Anderson has lived with this wrongful conviction for too long," Mr. Hilliard said. "GM allowed the victim to be convicted. Now, on the day of the hearing to prove it was GM and not Candice, GM admits what it has known since 2004."

A GM attorney said in an email to Mr. Hilliard the company "has determined that the crash involving Ms. Anderson is one in which the recall condition may have caused or contributed to the frontal air bag non-deployment in the accident." Earlier this year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration told Ms. Anderson her vehicle was counted by GM as an ignition switch accident. This is the first time the auto maker has confirmed the information to Ms. Anderson.

GM recalled 2.5 million vehicles earlier this year after determining that too much weight or a jarring of the ignition can move the ignition switch from"run" to "accessory" thereby cutting power to the air bags and electric steering.

On Nov. 15, 2004, Ms. Anderson was driving her 2004 Saturn Ion down a Texas road when she lost control and hit a tree. She and fiancé, Gene Erickson, weren't wearing seat belts at the time. A subsequent police investigation found Ms. Anderson had a trace amount of Xanax in her system. She was later indicted by a grand jury but she agreed to a lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide. Ms. Anderson was fined and sentenced to five years' probation.

GM gave Mr. Hilliard permission to submit the email to the Texas court, and said the company is willing to provide whatever technical information it has in connection with the accident.

Separately, the GM ignition switch compensation fund increased the official death toll to 35 people. Compensation expert Ken Feinberg is reviewing the claims and determining which are eligible.

The fund has received 225 death claims as of Friday. A total of 33 were declared ineligible, 77 are deficient, 29 are under review and 51 have no supporting documentation. The fund has also confirmed 49 serious injuries.

A total of 2,180 claims have been filed. Mr. Feinberg recently extended the claim filing period until Jan. 31. The deadline had been the end of the year.

Write to Jeff Bennett at [e-mail]

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