Yesterday, we found out about the incredibly sad passing of ‘Star Trek’ actor Anton Yelchin at the age of 27.
Today, new information has arisen regarding the accidental circumstances of his death – a defect with the model of his car.
Yelchin was found by friends, deceased, pinned between the car and a mailbox. According to LAPD spokesperson Jenny Houser:
“A fatal traffic collision occurred. It was the result of the victim’s own car rolling backward down his steep driveway, pinning him against a brick mailbox pillar and security fence.”
Houser said Yelchin was on his way to meet friends for rehearsal – when he didn’t show up, his friends came to see why, and found his body pinned behind his car. The car was still running – it seems as though the car rolled backwards off its own accord.
This may be due to the fact that he owned a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee – which were recalled for a potential gear defect which led drivers to think they’re in park when they’re not.
The recall was linked to around 700 incidents earlier this year, where people thought they’d put the car in park but apparently hadn’t. Fiat Chrysler said that some drivers must have been confused by the electronic gearshift system.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration called the problem, and the fact that there wasn’t even an alert to the driver that they hadn’t put the car in park, “clearly a safety issue”.
A spokesperson for Fiat Chrysler, Eric Mayne, said the company would conduct a “thorough investigation” of Yelchin‘s accident, saying it’s “premature to speculate on its cause at this time.”
Source: The Age.
Photo: Getty Images / Paul Archuleta.
