Anton Yelchin killed in car accident

[darth_timon]

I wish this wasn't true https://www.theguardian.com/culture/201 ... -car-crash

[Crazedwraith]

Shit, that's terrible.

How do you kill yourself in a traffic accident on your driveway with no one else involved though?

[Borgholio]

...fuck.

He was so young...

[Highlord Laan]

Shit, that's terrible.

How do you kill yourself in a traffic accident on your driveway with no one else involved though?

-"The actor was fatally pinned between his own car and a brick mailbox at his San Fernando Valley home, police confirmed to TheWrap."

[Borgholio]

My guess...car was not in park when he went to go check the mail. What a shitty way to go.

[bilateralrope]

According to this article:

The car was in neutral at the time with the engine still running, with the source adding that the driveway had a steep incline.

Did he forget the handbrake or did it fail ?

[Borgholio]

According to this article:

The car was in neutral at the time with the engine still running, with the source adding that the driveway had a steep incline.

Did he forget the handbrake or did it fail ?

An examination of the vehicle will be able to tell, although it was an oversight to leave it in neutral either way. Park locks the transmission for a reason...

[FaxModem1]

This is bad news to wake up to. I enjoyed him whenever I saw him in a movie. He was talented and was going to have a great career.

[amigocabal]

[Iroscato]

Fuck. Such a shame, he was a very capable actor. RIP.

[The Romulan Republic]

This hit me like few deaths in the news because it was so out of nowhere. He was my age for God's sake.

A capable actor, who will be greatly missed. Rest in peace.

[Sidewinder]

This is depressing news.

[Batman]

My condolences to his friends and family. He died so young.

[Enigma]

Damn. When I read his name here, I thought it was some old TOS bit actor until FaxModem1 mentioned movie. Then I thought, "please don't let it be Chekov. Please don't let it be him." Damn.

Wictor, Wictor, little bud.

[Darth Lucifer]

Deeply saddening news. Warp Speed and RIP, Anton.

[Temjin]

Apparently his vehicle, a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, was part of a recent recall. There was a problem with the shifter not providing enough feedback for people, causing people to think they had the car in park only to realise it was instead in neutral.

Source: http://jalopnik.com/anton-yelchins-jeep ... 1782277820

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that the car that rolled into and killed Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin was a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, a model that Fiat Chrysler recently recalled after its unconventional gear shifter led to several documented rollaway accidents.

Yelchin, 27, died in an unusual and horrifying incident early Sunday morning when his SUV—a Jeep Grand Cherokee—was left in neutral and apparently rolled down his driveway when he was outside of it, crushing him into a mailbox.

At the time it wasn’t clear whether Yelchin’s car was a 2014 or 2015 Grand Cherokee—the two model years covered by Fiat Chrysler’s voluntary shifter recall. But this morning, LAPD officials confirmed to Jalopnik that Yelchin’s SUV was a 2015 Grand Cherokee, meaning it was among the vehicles covered by Fiat Chrysler’s shifter recall from April.

The investigation into Yelchin’s death is ongoing and authorities have not determined the exact cause of the wreck, but this is almost certainly something they will be looking into.

Fiat Chrysler said in a recall notice that the shifter confusion had led to 41 injuries. Those injuries resulted from incidents like the following, which were reported on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s complaints database, emphasis ours.

MASSAPEQUA, NY:

THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE. WHILE SHIFTING TO THE PARK POSITION, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP AND CRASHED INTO A GARAGE DOOR.

OLIVE HILL, KY:

THE CONTACT OWNED A 2015 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE. WHILE PARKED IN A PARKING LOT, THE CONTACT’S VEHICLE ROLLED AWAY AND ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF THE CONTACT’S VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES.

GRESHAM, OR

THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE. WHILE THE ELECTRONIC SHIFTER WAS IN PARK, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY MOVED BACKWARDS AND STRUCK ANOTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE BUMPER WAS DAMAGED AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED.

WAVERLY HALL, GA

VEHICLE WAS PUT IN PARK. I EXITED THE CAR. WIFE WAS SITTING IN CAR IN PASSENGER SEAT. CAR WAS NOT MOVING. WIFE EXITED CAR TO RETRIEVE ITEM FROM HOUSE. RETURNED TO FIND VEHICLE DOWN THE HILL AND IN THE WOODS.

BOWLING GREEN, KY

THE JEEP’S ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION DID NOT FULLY SHIFT IN TO THE “PARK” POSITION WHILE STILL RUNNING. MY WIFE EXITED THE VEHICLE TO TAKE OUR 3 YEAR OLD FROM THE BACK SEAT AND THE JEEP BEGAN TO ROLL AWAY. SHE RAN AND JUMPED IN TO THE DRIVER’S SEAT TO STOP IT AND IN THE PROCESS HER FOOT SLIPPED FROM THE BRAKE TO THE GAS PEDAL DRIVING THE CAR INTO/THROUGH A HOUSE. SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE VEHICLE AND THE HOME BUT NO ONE WAS INJURED.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA

PUT THE CAR IN PARK (ENGINE STILL RUNNING) TO GO OUT OF THE VEHICLE TO TALK TO SOMEONE. I TURNED AROUND AND THE CAR WAS ROLLING BACKWARDS. IT GAINED SPEED AS IT APPROACHED A HILL, CROSSED OVER A SIDEWALK AND SLAMMED INTO A TREE. I HAD 2 BIKES ON A BIKE RACK ON THE BACK, WHICH TOOK THE BRUNT OF THE CRASH. THE BIKES, THE BIKE RACK AND THE REAR OF THE CAR WERE CRUSHED. THERE WAS NO WARNING NOISE OR OTHER INDICATION THAT MY CAR HAD NOT GONE INTO PARK.

LOS ANGELES, CA

ELECTRONIC SHIFTER DOES NOT ENGAGE IN TO PARK. ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS THE CAR HAS STARTED TO ROLL WHEN I THOUGHT IT WAS IN PARK. THE SHIFTER IS TERRIBLY DANGERS AND CUMBERSOME TO USE CORRECTLY TO FIND GEARS. THIS IS ALWAYS WHEN PARKING OR WHEN STARTING UP. DANGEROUS.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA

HE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED ON AN INCLINE, THE CONTACT STARTED THE VEHICLE AND IT ROLLED BACKWARDS IN REVERSE. THE CONTACT’S VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A PARKED VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED.

The investigation into Yelchin’s death remains ongoing.

Apparently his driveway had a steep incline. The speculation I've seen on the internet was that he got out of the car for something, thinking it was in park, and then when it started to roll down the driveway he tried to get behind it to stop it. Pure speculation though, as not a lot of facts have been released.

[Borgholio]

Apparently his vehicle, a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, was part of a recent recall. There was a problem with the shifter not providing enough feedback for people, causing people to think they had the car in park only to realise it was instead in neutral.

Ohhhh....shit. I read about this awhile back when the flaw was first revealed. Chrysler (and most people for that matter) didn't think it was a big deal and claimed to know of no incidents, but it was recalled anyways. I guess the issue was much more serious than both Chrysler and the general public first thought.

[Napoleon the Clown]

If you put your fucking parking brake on, it's not a big deal. But far too many people who drive an automatic think slapping it in park is good enough. So, inevitably, this is going to happen. Combine a lack of tactile feedback with little use of the parking brake among most people and you'll get cases where someone leaves their car idling in neutral, thinking it's in park and then it starts to roll away. Keyless starters only aggravate this issue, because when you actually have to put the key in the ignition then it won't let you get the key out unless you're in park.

Horribly tragic situation. I honestly can't hate on people who don't use the parking brake because they're often never taught to use it, or why park really isn't good enough to hold the car in place. And I can't blame people for making a mistake with this particular shifter. BMW has shifters that offer no tactile feedback when putting it in park, but they automatically put it in park when the door opens. Not terribly difficult, but this is FCA we're talking about.

I feel awful for his friends and family. And I also wonder if there's going to be a wrongful death lawsuit. Comments in Jalopnik's 14/15 Cherokee speculation post indicate that recall notices had been sent but there were people waiting for the dealership to actually be able to get the fix done.

[Broomstick]

If you're in Utah you're in a state with seriously vertical real estate.

Meanwhile, there are entire states in the Midwest... Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana.... where the terrain really is incredibly flat. Sure, there are a few hills to look out for but honestly I could park my vehicles in my driveway, leave them in neutral, and they wouldn't go anywhere. Well, OK, in a 100 kph windstorm (which we do get) they'd move, but under most conditions, nope.

I still shut down the vehicle and put it in park then extract the key before exiting - I had that drummed into my head by my parents. NEVER get out when the car is running. It seems a good rule so I keep it.

And I know to use the parking brake on a slope.

But there are millions of people who live all their lives on the flat then, when they're in a place with hills, don't even think about the parking brake. Because they've never needed it before. Which isn't helping, either.

Honestly, some of the vehicles these days are so full of stuff it makes the human complacent. And our driving education standards in this country are terribly lax.

[Napoleon the Clown]

Definitely. Never know when someone will bump the car, or some other crazy shit will happen. I don't think people are idiots for thinking park is good enough, because it's honestly intuitively going to be adequate. A parking brake is an extra bit of caution that takes little to no extra time, and thus is best to be used. I don't want to derail the thread, so I'll simply agree that it's completely understandable why someone would feel park is plenty good enough while maintaining that we should teach people to use the parking brake regardless of being on a hill or not.

[Elheru Aran]

This is just what boggles me...

Apparently his driveway had a steep incline. The speculation I've seen on the internet was that he got out of the car for something, thinking it was in park, and then when it started to roll down the driveway he tried to get behind it to stop it. Pure speculation though, as not a lot of facts have been released.

OK, if that was like, I don't know, a Pinto or one of those cute little Mazda convertibles, a VW Bug or a Mini or something, he might have been able to stop it himself. Even bearing in mind he wasn't *that* big of a guy... pretty slight actually. 'Might' is the operative word there. Odds are good he would've still gotten injured.

But a Cherokee? No. Best thing to do would have been just getting out of the way.

[Simon_Jester]

Evolution has not wired our brains to cope with objects that are much heavier than, or moving much faster than, human beings.

The human eye is quite capable of looking at an object and going "oh, that's going a few miles an hour, tops, I can stop it" instead of going "that weighs four thousand pounds, RUN!"

Conversely, the eye is also capable of going "that weighs maybe five or ten pounds, I can stop it" instead of going "that thing is going a hundred miles an hour, DUCK!" There are stories of the latter resulting in people in historic battles trying to stop cannonballs that were rolling along the ground with their feet... and losing the foot as a result.