In a statement issued on Friday, the family of actress Anne Heche stated that she was “not expected to survive” the catastrophic collision that occurred last week when her car crashed into a house in Los Angeles’ Mar Vista area.
Update: In accordance with California law, Anne Heche was pronounced deceased on August 12. The devastating news was confirmed to TMZ by a family representative, who issued the following statement: “We have lost a bright light, a lovely and most joyous soul, a loving mother, and a devoted friend.
“Anne will be sorely missed, but her gorgeous sons, legendary body of work, and ardent advocacy ensure that she will never be forgotten. Her courage in always speaking the truth and sharing her message of acceptance and love will have an everlasting effect.
Heche was extricated from her Mini Cooper at roughly 10:55 a.m. on Friday and sent to the hospital with serious wounds.
But in a heartbreaking incident, her family revealed through a spokesman that she had had “a significant anoxic brain injury” in the collision and was currently being kept alive by a machine while physicians examined her to see if her organs could be donated.
According to the statement, “We want to thank everyone for their warm thoughts and prayers for Anne’s recovery as well as the committed staff and great nurses who cared for Anne at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills hospital.”
“Unfortunately, Anne Heche’s accident resulted in a severe anoxic brain injury, and she is still in critical condition and in a coma. It is unlikely that she will live.
“Anne had a big heart and her giving spirit impacted everyone she met,” it said. More than her exceptional talent, she considered it her life’s purpose to inspire kindness and joy, especially by promoting acceptance of who you love. She will be missed much for her light and remembered for her brave honesty.
As we previously reported, the Heche incident generated a “strong fire” that took 59 firemen to extinguish and resulted in significant structural damage, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The 53-year-attorney, old’s Michael McConnell, stated on Monday that she hadn’t regained consciousness since just after the accident.
“She has a substantial lung damage needing mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical surgery,” McConnell said to news organizations.
She has not awakened since immediately after the accident and is currently in a coma.
Police said yesterday that they are looking into whether Heche was under the influence when she crashed.
“Additional testing is needed to rule out any medications that were administered in the hospital,” officer Annie Hernandez stated.
Although various other sources have speculated as to whether or not Heche had taken anything before getting behind the wheel of her car, Richard Glass, the owner of a nearby salon where Heche had bought a wig on Friday, just before the collision, told the Los Angeles Times that the actress had been in good spirits and did not appear to be intoxicated.
One of the neighbors of the house Heche plowed into claimed that he was at his work on Friday when a car rushed by his window.
After hearing the accident, David Manpearl described how he went outside to discover Heche’s Mini Cooper lodged in his neighbor’s rear wall and the homeowner of the house standing in the middle of her kitchen pleading for assistance.
She was unable to move due of the collapsed ceiling, which left a large amount of debris all throughout the place, according to Manpearl.
“Fire started to spread everywhere at that point. It was everywhere,” he continued.
Social media has been inundated with memorial posts for Heche since the incident.
