UPDATE (8/12/22 – 11am): Anne Heche has passed away after being separated from life support one week after tragic accident, family confirms.
LOS ANGELES (Fwrd Axis) – Actress Anne Heche is facing a grim prognosis following last week’s fiery car wreck resulting in the destruction and loss of a home in the Mar Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. A representative for Heche told PEOPLE that the actress suffered an anoxic brain injury and is not expected to survive.
The statement continues,
“It has long been her choice to donate her organs and she is being kept on life support to determine if any are viable.”
Previous to this latest development, it was announced that LAPD authorities are investigating the incident as a possible felony DUI case, as toxicology reports indicated the presence of cocaine in Anne Heche’s blood, along with fentanyl, though the latter could prove inconsequential because it is not clear whether the drug was taken prior to the accident or administered by hospital staff treating Heche for pain resulted from the severe burns she sustained.
On Friday, Aug. 5, reports began surfacing, along with video and photographic evidence obtained by witnesses, of a blue Mini Cooper speeding and driving erratically through neighborhoods in Venice Beach and Mar Vista. Before the final crash, Heche was witnessed crashing into a car and a garage situated in an apartment complex. When confronted and instructed to exit the car, it appears Heche panicked and sped away.
A Ring camera recorded Anne Heche’s car speeding down a street moments before her fiery crash in Los Angeles, Aug. 5, 2022. (David Manpearl via Storyful).
In a photo obtained by TMZ, Heche appeared to be traveling with a bottle thought to be of an alcoholic nature, though alcohol was not reportedly found at the time of the blood test the LAPD obtained a warrant for after her hospitalization.
Moments after the first incident, a Ring camera of a residence located on the street of the wreck captured what appeared to be the same car owned by Heche careening down the quiet street before slamming into a home rented by Lynne Mishele, who was occupying the residence with her two dogs in another location within the house at the time of the collision.
A massive fire engulfed the home, which took 59 firefighters over an hour to contain and remove Heche, who briefly became conscious and could be seen flailing on the gurney in overhead footage as documented by a FOX 11 chopper.
Photo: FOX 11 (Los Angeles)
Subsequently, it was reported that she had slipped into a coma and has not regained consciousness since.
A GoFundMe set up for Mishele and her pets raised over $100,000, with an outpouring of support from neighbors and beyond after the tragic event.
Photo: GoFundMe
Friends and those that knew Heche continue to share outpouring of support to the troubled actress, her family, and two sons, Atlas (13) and Homer (20).
As with any polarizing event, many took to social media to express their opinions and feelings about this tragedy. Anne Heche has well-documented her personal struggles publicly. Mental health crises and substance abuse rarely result in anything good happening in anyone’s life or to those affected by loved ones who feel there is no way to quell what they are going through in their mind without self-medicating. The people left to pick up the pieces of a series of decisions made by Heche are many, as there is also a direct victim in this outcome – Lynne Mishele. Heche, herself, is expected to succumb to her injuries and leave behind a family who loves her. There are no winners in this, only a lesson for others who decide to get behind the wheel while intoxicated and how our society, as a whole, treats mental illness.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis, or you would like to learn more about how to help someone in distress, please visit MentalHealth.gov.
