DODGEVILLE, Wis. — Boston Legal star Justin Mentell was pronounced dead early Monday following a single-car accident in rural Wisconsin, the Associated Press reports. He was 27.

Mentell was killed when his Jeep went down a steep embankment off Highway 39 and hit two trees around 8:30 a.m. Police said the actor, who attended high school in nearby Waukegan, Ill., was not wearing a seat belt.

The Austin, Texas native played attorney Garrett Wells on the hit ABC show from 2005 to 2006. Other acting credits include an appearance alongside Nicholas Cage in the 2009 summer film G-Force.

Photo credit: Carin Baer / ABC