Justin Mentell, who played Garrett Wells on Boston Legal from 2005-2006, died following a car crash in rural Wisconsin, the Iowa County Sheriff’s Department said today.

Mentell, who was only 27, died Monday after driving his Jeep off a steep embankment and striking two trees. The actor was alone at the time of the crash and was not wearing a seatbelt which caused him to be ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene around 8:30 a.m., according to Chief Deputy Jon Pepper, the accident is believed to have occurred around 3 a.m. Monday morning.

A statement on the actor’s website reads, “The family and friends of Justin Mentell thank you for visiting his site. Memorial services are being planned.”

Mentell’s Boston Legal co-star William Shatner Tweeted a tribute to the young star today. “I’m deeply saddened to hear about Justin Mentell,” Shatner wrote. “There’s no telling how far up the ladder he may have climbed. My sympathies to his family.”

Mentell was born in Texas and raised in Illinois. He was a speed skater in his youth and was a member of the U.S. Speed Skating’s junior national long track team. Mentell most recently starred in last summer’s G-Force.