Anne Heche remains in a coma and is and it not expective to survive after her Friday, August 5, car crash.
“We want to thank everyone for their kind wishes and prayers for Anne’s recovery and thank the dedicated staff and wonderful nurses that cared for Anne at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills hospital,” a rep for Heche’s family and friends told Deadline on Thursday, August 11. “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.”
As for her legacy, they continued, “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. She will be remembered for her courageous honesty and dearly missed for her light.”
According to the statement, Heche, 53, is still on life support in order to “determine” if her organs are viable for donation, which is something that has “long been her choice.”
The Men In Trees actress has been hospitalized since Friday. The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to Us Weekly at the time that the driver — who they have now identified as Heche — was allegedly speeding while traveling eastbound on Preston Way in Los Angeles. The blue Mini Cooper ran off the road when it entered the intersection of Preston and Walgrove. The car collided with a house on the 1700 block of Walgrove around 11 a.m. PT. One woman was home, but she was in the backyard and was not injured.
The vehicle was engulfed in flames with Heche receiving severe burns. The Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed in a video update on Saturday morning that the car went 30 feet into the two-story home, which was deemed unsafe to enter after the fire was extinguished. It took 59 firefighters over an hour to control the blaze.
While the All Rise alum was initially stable, things took a turn for the worse on Monday. “At this time she is in extreme critical condition. She has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention,” a representative for Heche told Us. “She is in a coma and has not regained consciousness since shortly after the accident.”
Following the crash, an LAPD spokesperson confirmed to Us that Heche is being investigated for a felony DUI traffic collision.
“The blood sample results showed there was a presence of narcotics,” the spokesperson told Us on Thursday. “However, additional testing is required to rule out any substance that was administered at the hospital.” When asked about reports that Heche was under the influence of fentanyl at the time of the crash, the spokesperson responded: “It’s unknown at this time what kind of narcotics until additional testing is completed.”
