Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin's parents settle legal case with Fiat over his death

The parents of late Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin have settled a wrongful death claim against the makers of the car which killed him.

The confidential settlement agreement between Victor and Irina Yelchin and Fiat Chrysler was filed and agreed on Thursday, with the carmaker saying it was "pleased that we've reached an amicable resolution in this matter".

Although the late actor's parents have not yet commented on the settlement, their lawyer Gary Dordick said the money would go to the Anton Yelchin Foundation and fund a documentary on his life.

Anton Yelchin died in June last year when his Jeep Grand Cherokee crushed him between a letterbox and a fence at the doorstep of his LA home.

The 27-year-old got out of his car in his driveway, failing to securely put it in "park". The vehicle than rolled backwards down the steep path towards him.

He died of accidental blunt force asphyxia.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in February that 2015 models of the vehicle - like Yelchin's - could continue to move after drivers thought they had locked them in "park", and linked the issue to more than 100 crashes.

Manufacturer Fiat Chrysler's US unit issued a recall for hundreds of thousands of Jeep Grand Cherokees and other models in April to address the problem.

"We continue to extend our deepest sympathies to the Yelchin family for their tragic loss," Fiat Chrysler said.

Yelchin moved to the US when he was six months old with his parents, who were star figure skaters with the Leningrad Ice Ballet, and made his film debut at the age of nine in A Man Is Mostly Water.

His breakout performance came in the 2006 crime thriller Alpha Dog, and his movie credits include JJ Abrams' three Star Trek films and last year's critically acclaimed Green Room.