The parents of the late Star Trek star Anton Yelchin took legal action against Fiat Chrysler Autos NV by suing it for neglect and product liability over the rollaway crash of a Jeep Grand Cherokee caused the death of their son.
The suit, submitted in Los Angeles County Superior Court, is thought to be the very first wrongful death grievance connected to the Fiat Chrysler recall in April of more than 1.1 million vehicles and SUVs due to the fact that vehicles that roll away after drivers exit them.
Yelchin, 27, died on June 19 when his 2015 Grand Cherokee was covered under the recall, rolled backwards in the steep driveway of his Los Angeles home and crushed the star against a brick wall and fence.
The 18-page lawsuit indicate a transmission gear-selector design it explains as “defective” as being the cause of numerous driverless rollaway accidents like the one that eliminated Yelchin.
Gary Dordick, the lawyer representing Yelchin’s parents, said Fiat Chrysler had sent a recall letter to the star that was received 7 days after he died.
The undated letter addressed Yelchin was shown at the news conference and stated that automobile may roll away, striking and injuring the driver, the passengers, or bystanders, if the car’s engine is left running, the parking brake is not engaged, and the transmission is not in the “PARK” position before exiting the vehicle.
The automaker stated it had actually not been served with a lawsuit and declined to talk about it, but expressed its “sympathies to the Yelchin family for their tragic loss.”
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has stated that the gear selectors in question plainly pose a security concern that led to numerous crashes and lots of injuries.
The issue has been tied to a minimum of 68 injuries, 266 crashes and 308 reports of property damage. Yelchin’s death marked the very first recognized casualty connected to the problem.
