Anne Heche Dead After Sustaining Brain Injury During Crash That Destroyed A Los Angeles Home
Rest in peace.
FeatureFlash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com / GoFundMe / Twitter 53-year-old actor Anne Heche has died after crashing her car into a Los Angeles residence over the weekend.
The "Six Days, Seven Nights" star had been in a coma since being taken by ambulance from the scene of the crash after her Mini Countryman crashed into a building before sparking a fire in the Mar Vista neighborhood on August 5th, 2022 at around 11 a.m.
Anne Heche was not under the influence of alcohol when she crashed her car into a home last Friday, but she was under the influence of cocaine according to law enforcement sources, and possibly fentanyl as well.
Following the crash, a spokesperson for the actor per NBC revealed that Heche was in stable condition.
However, on August 11 her family shared an updated statement on the actor's condition, revealing that things had taken a turn.
"Unfortunately, due to her accident, Anne Heche suffered a severe anoxic brain injury and remains in a coma, in critical condition. She is not expected to survive," the statement read. "It has long been her choice to donate her organs and she is being kept on life support to determine if any are viable."
Anne Heche was declared legally braid dead according to a statement from her friends and family to CNN, to preserve her organs for donation.
"We have lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend. Anne will be deeply missed but she lives on through her beautiful sons, her iconic body of work, and her passionate advocacy. Her bravery for always standing in her truth, spreading her message of love and acceptance, will continue to have a lasting impact," said a representative for Anne's family.
A video camera caught Anne Heche's car speeding down a street moments before the crash.
Exclusively obtained footage by CBSLA captures the moments leading up to Heche’s 90 mph crash into a nearby home.
The Ring camera struggles to pick up the sounds of the speeding car before it leaves the frame.
Not long after, you can hear a loud bang coming from the left side of the footage which is likely the moment Heche’s car rammed through 30 feet of the Los Angeles home.
Earlier on that same morning, Heche had crashed her car into the garage of an apartment complex in exclusively obtained footage by TMZ.
Locals nearby to the crash approached her in the vehicle where Heche appeared to be dazed.
They pleaded with her to get out of the vehicle, and captured photos of her inside of the car.
After the video, the actor reportedly continued driving unsafely until eventually striking Lynne Mishele’s home on the 1800 block of South Walgrove Avenue.
The crash caused Heche’s car to burst into flames, though firefighters were able to pull her from the wreckage before the crash claimed her life.
In two separate email alerts, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said that she had suffered from severe burns and was quickly hospitalized.
In the second email, Humphrey reveals that it took 59 firefighters 65 minutes to put out the “stubborn flames.”
Mishele’s home, however, was already considered to be destroyed.
Mishele’s neighbor, Lynne Bernstein, told People that Mishele "was extremely fortunate" to have survived the crash with no injuries.
The tenant was in another part of her small home when the crash occurred and was shocked, according to Bernstein, when she saw neighbors inside of her home trying to get everyone out safely.
"I don't think she got what was going on. She said, 'What happened? What happened?'" Bernstein recalled.
John and Jennifer Durand, the two owners of the house that was being rented out to Mishele, started a GoFundMe in order to replace all of the belongings that were lost in the fire.
“A kind and generous person, Lynne is always first to offer help to others,” they wrote on their GoFundMe description. “Today we are asking the community to come together and help Lynne start over.”
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Since graduating from Rutgers University, he spends most of his free time gaming or playing Quadball. Keep up with his rants on Twitter.