Actor Justin Mentell found dead outside his wrecked Jeep

The 27-year-old actor, who played attorney Garrett Wells on ABC’s ‘Boston legal’ from the year 2005 to 2006, died Monday after his Jeep crashed in rural Wisconsin.

Actor dies in fatal crash
The Iowa County Sheriff's Department said Mentell passed away when his Jeep careened off a highway and down a steep embankment, colliding with two trees and killing him due to bad head injury.

Mentell, who was born in Texas and raised in Waukegan, Illinois, was pronounced dead at the scene.

"The family and friends of Justin Mentell thank you for visiting his site. Memorial services are being planned," a statement on the actor's Web site read.

Citing sheriff's department, Chicago Tribune says Mentell was killed when his Jeep went down a steep embankment off Highway 39 near Blanchardville and hit two trees. The paper says that the actor was not wearing a seat belt.

Found dead by farmer
The fatal crash is believed to have occurred around 3:30 a.m. and was first reported at 8:30 a.m. after a farmer spotted the car while driving along a road outside Blanchardville, Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

Chief Deputy John Pepper told reporters: "It looks like [Mentell] had been there for several hours. There are a lot of trees in that area, so if you were driving on 39, you wouldn't be able to see the vehicle. The farmer was traveling on Moscow Road after the sun came up, and he saw the Jeep in a field."

According to Pepper, alcohol or drugs did not seem to be a factor in the fatal crash. He added that routine toxicology reports won't be available for six to eight weeks.

The Associated Press reports that Mentell was found dead Monday outside his wrecked Jeep. The actor was not wearing a seat belt.

‘Boston Legal’ co-star remembers Mentell
Meanwhile, Mentell’s "Boston Legal" co-star William Shatner expressed his sorrow over the sudden and untimely death of the actor.

He tweeted Tuesday: "I'm deeply saddened to hear about Justin Mentell. There’s no telling how far up the ladder he may have climbed. My sympathies to his family."

A bit more on the actor
Born in Austin, Tex., Mentell was a speed skater in his youth, and had been a member of the U.S. Speed Skating's junior national long track team. He majored at Northern Illinois University in acting.

After making his acting debut in 2004's Gotham, IL, Mentell portrayed attorney Garrett Wells on ABC’s Boston Legal from 2005-2006, alongside co-stars James Spader and William Shatner.

He most recently appeared as a human character in the CG animated film G-Force with Nicholas Cage and Zach Galifianakis.