Anne Heche sustained second-degree burns on 12% of her body in the collision, but the problematic actress was not high on drugs when she slammed into a Los Angeles house.
Based on an autopsy report, Heche, 53, was trapped inside her burning Mini Cooper for nearly 30 minutes on August 5 before being extricated by first responders.
According to a report issued on Tuesday by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Office, Coroner’s Heche died of “inhalation and thermal injuries,” as well as a fracture of her sternum — the breastbone in the middle of the chest — due to severe trauma during the collision.
According to the investigation, the injury is believed to be agonizing while she was breathing in her vehicle and played a vital role to her death.
The cause of death was determined to be an accident, and the autopsy refuted prior claims that Heche was high on narcotics at the time of the catastrophic crash.
The report stated that tests on Heche’s urine revealed positive results for cocaine, cannabis, and fentanyl, but it also stated that she was administered fentanyl in the hospital following the collision.
Separate blood tests revealed that she had previously used benzoylecgonine, a poisonous metabolite that arises after cocaine use, but the coroner concluded that there was no indication of impairment by illegal drugs at the time of the collision, according to the report.
Heche was also burned on the right side of her face and neck, right shoulder, left upper chest, and upper extremities.
Per the study, in addition to the second degree burns, 40 percent of Heche’s body had first degree burns, and soot was discovered in her nostrils and mouth.
Heche was taken to an emergency room but then transported to the Grossman Burn Center in West Hills, California, for skin grafting on her neck, chest, upper and lower extremities.
She was put on a breathing machine but was confirmed brain dead on August 11 at 6:38 p.m.
According to the autopsy report, a second pronouncement was made 10 minutes later, and her organs and tissue were taken for donation.
According to emergency services radio recordings, the first fire engine arrived at the scene at 11:01 a.m., just five minutes after Heche lost control of her automobile and crashed into the private residence.
Although an emergency dispatcher radioed that an individual was stuck inside the car, responding paramedics were originally routed to treat a lady discovered wounded in the residence rather than the driver of the Mini Cooper.
According to witnesses, Heche was speeding at roughly 80 mph in a 25 mph residential zone when she crashed into the house on the 1700 block of Walgrove Ave. in Mar Vista, Calif.
Based on the study, the Los Angeles Fire Department may have taken up to 30 minutes to rescue the deceased owing to the small area and the resident’s lack of structural integrity. As a result, in addition to the burns she received, the deceased may have ingested a significant amount of smoke.
Anne is survived by her two kids, Homer Laffoon, 20, and Atlas Heche Tupper, both of whom she shared with ex-partners Coley Lafoon and James Tupper.
