Atkinson woman files lawsuit against Fiat-Chrysler over gear shifter

An Atkinson mother has filed a personal injury lawsuit against the makers of Jeep Grand Cherokee because her parked vehicle popped out of gear and rolled over her legs as she tried to stop it, according to her lawyer.

The incident was similar to what may have killed Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin, according to Boston-based attorney Steve Berman. Yelchin died in his Los Angeles driveway on June 19 when his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled backward down a driveway and fatally struck him.

“While common sense would dictate a vehicle’s shifter — an integral part of car design and safety — be user friendly and functional, Fiat Chrysler has knowingly sold these vehicles with a shifter that it self-describes as confusing,” said Berman