Anne Heche ‘not expected to survive’ car crash after suffering brain injury
Anne Heche is “not expected to survive” her horrific car crash.
The actress’ rep told Page Six Thursday night that she “suffered a severe anoxic brain injury” due to the accident and “remains in a coma” at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center in California.
“It has long been her choice to donate her organs,” her spokesperson shared, adding that she “is being kept on life support to determine if any are viable.”
Heche’s rep thanked the actress’ fans “for their kind wishes and prayers” as well as “the dedicated staff and wonderful nurses” who have cared for her since the Aug. 5 wreck.
“Anne had a huge heart and touched everyone she met with her generous spirit. More than her extraordinary talent, she saw spreading kindness and joy as her life’s work — especially moving the needle for acceptance of who you love,” her rep concluded.
“She will be remembered for her courageous honesty and dearly missed for her light.”
Heche, 53, “became unconscious, slipping into a coma,” shortly after her blue Mini Cooper plowed into a Los Angeles home and went up in flames last Friday.
“She has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention,” her spokesperson told us three days after the accident.
The “Vanished” star’s condition has since gone from “critical” to “dire.”
After having obtained a warrant to test her blood, the Los Angeles Police Department was reportedly able to determine that Heche was under the influence of cocaine at the time of the crash.
Law enforcement sources told TMZ Thursday afternoon that the actress’ blood test results came up positive for fentanyl as well.
However, they cautioned that fentanyl may have been administered to Heche at the hospital to help manage her pain after the accident.
The “Men in Trees” star was not under the influence of alcohol, reported TMZ, despite a photo taken shortly before the accident that showed a red-capped bottle in her car’s cupholder.
LAPD escalated its investigation to a felony DUI on Wednesday after the woman whose home Heche crashed into claimed she was injured and needed medical assistance as a result.
According to eyewitnesses on the scene, the actress first slammed into the garage of a nearby apartment complex before backing up and speeding off.
Officials with the LAPD West Traffic Division previously confirmed she hit another vehicle before bulldozing into the house that caught fire.
Photos from the scene captured the “Hung” star being put on a stretcher and showed serious injuries to her back, while aerial shots documented smoke billowing out of the residence as well as numerous fire trucks surrounding the area.
She shares 20-year-old son Homer Laffoon with her ex-husband, Coleman “Coley” Laffoon, and 13-year-old son Atlas Heche Tupper with her “Men in Trees” co-star, James Tupper.
Credit: pagesix.com