News Anton Yelchin, Star Trek actor, dies in car accident at age 27

[garyw]

Anton Yelchin, a charismatic rising star best known for playing Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek films, has died at the age of 27. He was killed in a fatal traffic accident early on Sunday morning, his publicist, Jennifer Allen confirmed.

According to reports, Yelchin’s friends alerted police when he failed to turn up to a rehearsal scheduled to start some hours earlier. They then discovered the actor in his driveway at around 1am. No other vehicles are thought to have been involved.


Anton Yelchin: 'This is a Terminator movie – we're gonna have a good time'
Yelchin’s career began with roles in indie films and assorted television shows, before breaking out in films like the crime thriller Alpha Dog, Jodie Foster’s The Beaver and Sundance winner Like Crazy. His biggest mainstream role to date has been in the rebooted Star Trek films the third of which, Star Trek Beyond comes out in July. He won much acclaim for his role in ensemble horror Green Room, out earlier in this year.

Yelchin, an only child, was born in Russia. His parents were professional figure skaters who moved the family to the United States when Yelchin was a baby. Yelchin’s family has requested privacy at this time.

Tributes to the actor began appearing on Twitter shortly after reports broke. Anna Kendrick called his death a “huge loss” while Matt Lucas called it “dreadful news”.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/jun/19/anton-yelchin-star-trek-actor-dies-car-crash

No other vehicles involved and he was found in his driveway? To me this sounds more like a suicide than a traffic accident, either way, it's a terrible loss.

 

[Trekkie]

ooh damn... another great person gone..

RIP

 

[Urwumpe]

Tragic, looks like his car started rolling down a grade and smashed him between car and security gate.

I wonder if it was one of the "new" electric parking brakes. I already had experienced some near accidents with those. I don't know how it can happen, maybe the driver who had used the company car before had forgotten to set it. But the car does not roll for about 30 seconds, if you are not sitting in the car then, it will roll away. Maybe some confusion by having the hill assist holding the car, I don't know.

 

[Fabri91]

Tragic. I'll whatever I can not to buy a car with such a parking brake. There is no reason for it to be electric and not as conceivably simple as possible. And always turn the wheel completely when parking on an incline.

 

[Capt_hensley]

Simply tragic! RIP

 

[Fabri91]

It might have been a Jeep Grand Cherokee among those recalled for a confusing shifter design, but the model-year of the car hasn't been confirmed.

On the unusual mushroom-shaped gear shifter, a driver pushes in a button and pushes the shifter all the way up to set the car in park, after which the shifter centers itself again.

 

[Urwumpe]

It might have been a Jeep Grand Cherokee among those recalled for a confusing shifter design, but the model-year of the car hasn't been confirmed.

Who is the full-time idiot that has designed this? :facepalm:

 

[Quick_Nick]

It might have been a Jeep Grand Cherokee among those recalled for a confusing shifter design, but the model-year of the car hasn't been confirmed.

The article has been updated to confirm that his vehicle was a 2015 and among those covered by the recall.

So now I wonder if there is a solid lawsuit because of the poor design, or if the recall notice is sufficient to get them out of trouble.

 

[Hielor]

I was actually considering buying a Charger with that same recalled shifter, and it was definitely strange to use on the test drive, but after a few minutes it wasn't really all that difficult.

 

[Fabri91]

From what I've been able to gather, it might have been changed for this model year.

 

[PhantomCruiser]

A sad end to a promising career. The really sad thing (to me) is that he died alone.

Do people not use the emergency brake anymore? I've not driven an automatic transmission regularly in many years (like 25 or so). But even then I always use the handbrake/emergency brake. I'd never rely on the transmission to hold the car on a hill of any sort (which is pretty much what is holding the car when you put it in park).

 

[Andy44]

To much of the general public, words like "parking brake" and "turn signal" are mysterious and must be something covered in the advanced class.

 

[Thunder Chicken]

A sad end to a promising career. The really sad thing (to me) is that he died alone.

Do people not use the emergency brake anymore? I've not driven an automatic transmission regularly in many years (like 25 or so). But even then I always use the handbrake/emergency brake. I'd never rely on the transmission to hold the car on a hill of any sort (which is pretty much what is holding the car when you put it in park).

Ditto this. My wife doesn't use the parking brake and I yell at her when she doesn't. I'd be much happier if she accidentally drove around with it on instead of never using it. It's not an 'emergency' brake, it's a 'use every God-damned time the car is parked, just in case' brake. I use the parking brake always, and make sure to cut the wheel such that the car will chock against a curb if something breaks loose.

Admittedly we now live in southeast MA which is flatter than urine on a plate (and is where my wife grew up), but my hometown in W. Massachusetts is in the hills and cars can become two ton projectiles if you're stupid and something fails. I've seen unattended cars go through people's houses several times just because of not using the hand brake.

What a tragic and preventable way to die. Of all the ways to lose someone's life. :facepalm:

 

[PhantomCruiser]

My wife doesn't use hers either, but it's a losing battle to get her to do so. The kiddo does, for all the reasons already mentioned. Not to mention the plethora of youtube videos of cars gone wild. One of my brothers took a wild ride down the driveway once, but he was screwing around with the shifter and took it out of drive, still it's on mom for not having the parking brake on in the first place.

I think my mom called it an emergency brake, but dad and both grandparents called it a parking brake (now it's handbrake maybe? Aren't handbrake turns a thing in those racing games?). I guess it just depends on who you heard it from first?

 

[Hielor]

I think my mom called it an emergency brake, but dad and both grandparents called it a parking brake (now it's handbrake maybe? Aren't handbrake turns a thing in those racing games?). I guess it just depends on who you heard it from first?

The 2013 Buick Regal I leased for a couple years had an electronic parking brake switch. When the dude at the dealership was giving me the intro to the car, I asked if you could use the parking brake switch while the car was driving in order to do sweet handbrake turns.

He seemed very confused and just gave me a "no, don't do that" look.

 

[Andy44]

The 2013 Buick Regal I leased for a couple years had an electronic parking brake switch. When the dude at the dealership was giving me the intro to the car, I asked if you could use the parking brake switch while the car was driving in order to do sweet handbrake turns.

He seemed very confused and just gave me a "no, don't do that" look.

My old Volkswagen had the hand brake lever in the center by the transmission hump. I used to drive it on frozen icy parking lots, cut the wheel, and pull up on the hand brake. Awesome spinouts. Had to make sure there were no light poles around, though.

 

[Quick_Nick]

A gear shift that needs a video to explain its use... has only visual feedback rather than tactile... and its most difficult action is shifting to Park.

Apparently BMW has had similar designs for some time but automatically engages Park when the driver steps out of the vehicle.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUWVYrpd-3g"]2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee I Electronic Shifter 3.6 L Engine - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Loru]

hmm. almost every driving course in Poland teaches you to leave your car in "gear" ( 99 % of cars have manual gearbox) and with parking brake engaged.

 

[PhantomCruiser]

I don't know if Park is considered a gear, but if you don't put the vehicle in park you can't get the keys out of the ignition. I try all the time when I drive the wife's car (in addition to slamming my left foot into the floorboard when I'm wanting to change gears that aren't there).

I saw on the news that the new models have gone back to the type shifters that have a distinct position rather than a return-to-center?

 

[Andy44]

A fine example of "newer technology isn't always better".

Keep it simple and institutive. If you can't operate the car without thinking hard it's too complicated.