The parents of “Star Trek” actor Anton Yelchin, who died when he was pinned by a rollaway Jeep Grand Cherokee in the driveway of his Studio City home, have settled their lawsuit against the automaker, the company confirmed Thursday.
Details of the settlement were not disclosed.
Fiat Chrysler, which owns Jeep, issued a statement saying the company is “pleased that we’ve reached an amicable resolution in this matter. The details of the settlement are confidential. We continue to extend our deepest sympathies to the Yelchin family for their tragic loss.”
Gary Dordick, attorney for Yelchin’s parents, could not be reached for immediate comment on the settlement, which was first reported by TMZ.
Yelchin, 27, was best known for his role as Chekov in the recent series of “Star Trek” films. He died June 19, 2016, at his home in the 3800 block of Berry Drive, with investigators saying his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled backward down his steep driveway, crushing him against a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence.
Police said Yelchin had gotten out of the car when it rolled away. That model vehicle was under recall over concerns about gear shifters confusing some drivers, causing vehicles to roll away unexpectedly.
Yelchin’s parents sued Fiat Chrysler in August 2016, alleging that Yelchin’s Jeep had a defective “gear selector” which has an “unfamiliar movement that is not intuitive and that provides poor tactile and visual feedback to drivers, increasing the potential for unintended gear selection and vehicle rollaway.” It also contends that the vehicle, and others with the same equipment, “failed to include sufficient rollaway prevention features as well as sufficient warning features and/or measures so as to prevent drivers from exiting these vehicles with the engine running and the transmission not in `park’ and/or to avoid vehicle rollaway.”
According to the lawsuit, Yelchin got out of his Jeep and walked to the bottom of his driveway, but the vehicle failed to stay in the `park’ position, causing it to roll down the driveway and strike him.
“Anton Yelchin was crushed and lingered alive for some time, trapped and suffocating until his death,” the suit states.
Yelchin, who was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, also appeared in such films as “Alpha Dog,” “Terminator Salvation” and “Charlie Bartlett.”
He was supposed to meet up with friends for rehearsal the day of his death, police said. When he did not show up, his friends went to his home and found him dead by his vehicle.
An only child, Yelchin was 6 months old when he moved with his family to the United States in September 1989. His mother worked as a figure skating choreographer and his father as a figure skating coach.
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