For anyone following the recent death of Anton Yelchin this past summer, there seems to be an update on the horrific and tragic accident. For those who aren’t aware, Yelchin, 27 years of age and actor famous for his Star Trek role passed away this summer when his Jeep Grand Cherokee trapped him against his mailbox as the vehicle rolled backwards.
As the vehicle was still found to be running while in neutral after the accident, many pointed the blame Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). After all, with a recall of 1.1 million of their autos recalled last spring due to a confusing shifter selector, the conclusion seemed pretty clear.
In fact, MSN reported that the actor’s mother and father had that very same idea when they launched a wrongful death lawsuit against the company, approximately eight weeks after their son’s terrible accident. After months of speculation, the FCA dealership in Valencia, California (the very same one that sold Yelchin) his vehicle, have spoken out against the claim, stating his death was not caused by the Jeep, but rather it was Yelchin’s fault.
The dealership recently responded to this claim officially, by filing a reply to the lawsuit launched by Vicktor and Irina Yelchin, with a long list of explanations as to why the actor should be blamed for the accident. Within the response they go on to say that the accident was caused by Yelchin’s own ‘misapplication’, ‘misuse’, and ‘damage’, to the Jeep. While it is not quite clear within the document response, it does seem that the FCA dealership is implying that Yelchin made some changes to the vehicle after it was sold to him; changes, that may have negatively affected the Jeep, causing the accident. T
he dealership goes on to further stated that the actor’s parents did not preserve the Jeep as it should have been after the incident, stating that it compromised important evidence that is needed within the case.
As you might of have guessed from the FCA dealership’s response, they are asking the judge in the case to dismiss them from the Yelchin lawsuit.
