Anton Yelchin is to blame for his own death, a Chrysler dealership has claimed.
The 27-year-old actor – who found fame playing Pavel Chekov in the rebooted ‘Star Trek’ films – was crushed in a freak accident at his Los Angeles home in June when his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled backwards and pinned him against the security gate of his property.
Anton’s parents Irina and Victor Yelchin filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler and ZF North America and named local dealership Auto Nation in the claim, stating their son believed the vehicle was in park when he stepped outside of it.
However, Auto Nation has now fired back and requested that a Californian court strike them from the lawsuit because they state "misuse, misapplication, or damage’ was inflicted on the vehicle after they sold it.
What’s more, workers at the car dealership believe the vehicle was not kept in its original condition once it was retrieved by Anton’s parents after the accident and therefore the evidence was compromised, according TMZ.
Fiat Chrysler issued a voluntary recall of Anton’s vehicle after a report earlier this year found that the gear-shift design made it difficult to tell what gear the vehicle is in, meaning drivers were unwittingly leaving their cars in neutral but thinking it was in park.
Anton’s parents revealed their decision to sue Fiat Chrysler was an attempt to prevent other families from facing the same tragedy as them.
During an emotional press conference, Victor said: "With unbelievable grief, we decided to come here to prevent other families with the same tragedy. Anton was our only son – a remarkable human being. It’s against nature when a parent has to bury their own child."
Irina added: "He never cared about being a star. He loved life very much. … His death is gonna save some other life."
Chrysler dealership blames Anton Yelchin for his own death
