The death of Anton Yelchin has been officially ruled as an accident by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
The 27-year-old actor, known for roles in Star Trek and Green Room, died after his car rolled down his driveway and pinned him against a security fence. The coroner confirmed that the cause of death was “blunt traumatic asphyxia” and estimated that his injuries would have killed him in under a minute.
An investigation has been launched by Fiat Chrysler as Yelchin’s car, a 2015 Jeep Cherokee, had been recalled due to a “rollaway risk”, according to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“Drivers erroneously concluding that their vehicle’s transmission is in the ‘park’ position may be struck by the vehicle and injured if they attempt to get out of the vehicle while the engine is running and the parking brake is not engaged,” the organisation said in a report about the problem.
More than 850,000 vehicles have been involved in the initial investigation about the issue, according to CBS News.
Yelchin’s death has led to tributes from across the industry, including his Star Trek director JJ Abrams who called him “brilliant … kind … funny as hell, and supremely talented” and his Alpha Dog co-star Justin Timberlake who tweeted that he was a “genius actor” and an “amazing human being”. A number of Yelchin’s films are yet to be released, including this summer’s Star Trek Beyond and thriller Thoroughbred.
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