LOS ANGELES (AP) – The parents of “Star Trek” actor Anton Yelchin on Tuesday sued the makers of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, an SUV that was under recall when it crushed and killed the 27-year-old.
Victor and Irina Yelchin filed the wrongful-death and product-liability lawsuit against automaker Fiat Chrysler in Los Angeles Superior Court roughly six weeks after their son was killed. The suit contends that the gear selector in the actor’s Jeep was defective and poorly designed and manufactured.
“Anton Yelchin was crushed and lingered alive for some time, trapped and suffocating until his death,” the lawsuit says.
It does not say how much Yelchin’s parents are seeking in damages.
The actor’s Jeep rolled backward down the driveway of his Los Angeles home June 19, pinning him between a mailbox and a security fence. The SUV was among 1.1 million vehicles recalled in April because its gear shifters have confused drivers, causing the vehicles to roll away unexpectedly and leading to dozens of injuries.