The family of a California man who hanged himself in prison last year, after learning that a faulty GM ignition switch may have played a part in his friend’s death, filed a lawsuit against the automaker.

New York Daily News reports that in 2003, Denis John Herndon was 36 years old when he lost control of his new GM Saturn Ion in Big Bear City, California.

The car accident in GM vehicle killed his friend and passenger, 22-year-old David Aroian, who couldn’t get his seatbelt unjammed.

After the car accident in GM vehicle, Herndon told authorities that he lost control of his car after it shut off by itself, which disabled the brakes, rendering him unable to stop the vehicle from crashing.

Yet Herndon was deemed intoxicated when the car accident in GM vehicle happened, and was subsequently convicted of gross vehicular manslaughter. He was sentenced to six years in prison.

While in prison and suffering from seizures brought on by the car accident in GM vehicle, Herndon learned that GM sent out more than 5 million recall notices regarding vehicles shutting off unexpectedly.

Herndon’s family received a recall notice for his Saturn Ion. However, he was mistaken when he thought the recall notice would get him out of prison.

In 2015, a little less than a year after learning about the GM ignition switch recall notices, Herndon committed suicide. According to his fiancée, Herndon felt extreme guilt for what happened and couldn’t get the image of the car accident in GM vehicle out of his mind.

Herndon’s family filed a lawsuit against GM, joining numerous others who purchased vehicles with the faulty ignition switches.

Last month, three of the GM faulty ignition switch lawsuits were dismissed, while another was settled out of court.

GM Ignored Ignition Switch For Years

GM reportedly knew about the ignition switch defect for more than a decade yet failed to issue a recall.

The faulty GM ignition switch has the potential to take the vehicle out of gear when excessive amounts of weight are placed on the ignition. A driver could be navigating down the road when his or her key suddenly shifts the vehicle out of the “On” position.

When this happens, the onboard safety systems are disabled, with the driver losing access to Power Steering, Antilock Brakes, and airbag deployment. Because the issue can appear suddenly and without warning, the risk of a car accident in GM vehicle increases.

Some of the vehicles and brands that have been affected by the GM ignition switch recall include:

• Chevy Cobalts
• Chevy HHRs
• Saturn Ions
• Saturn Skys
• Pontiac Solstices
• Pontiac G5s

As a result of their actions, General Motors was fined $35 million by the United States Transportation Department.

Were You Involved in a Car Accident in GM Vehicle?

Are you one of the many drivers who was involved in a car accident in a GM vehicle stemming from a faulty ignition switch? Have you lost a loved one to the same? If so, you may qualify to file a lawsuit against GM for its role in not addressing the issue early on.

In addition to an ignition switch defect that GM reportedly refused to acknowledge for years, the automaker has recalled millions of other vehicles for additional safety issues that put drivers and passengers at risk.

If you sustained an accident of any kind involving a GM vehicle, you should contact a specialized GM car accident attorney to learn more about your legal options.