UPDATE (8/11/2022 at 3:10 PM EST) LAPD told HollywoodLife, “Right now, we are investigating this as a felony DUI. That is because her blood draw came back revealing the presence of drugs. I cannot say which drugs because there is additional testing required due to the fact that they must rule out any substances administered at the hospital. That is done through a secondary test. The reason that is a felony is that there were injuries to a female inside of the house who had to seek medical treatment when the house was engulfed in flames. Right now, we are concerned about getting her back to a healthy human being. If Anne does not make it and succumbs to her injuries, investigators will continue their investigation to find out what caused the accident. Obviously, there would be no charges filed in that circumstance.”
UPDATE (8/8/2022 @ 6:40 PM EST): Anne Heche is in “critical condition” following the terrifying accident on Aug. 5, a source told HollywoodLife. “Shortly after the accident, Anne Heche became unconscious, slipping into a coma,” her spokesperson said. “She has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention.”
Earlier on Aug. 8, an officer from the LAPD told HollywoodLife that a toxicology test is being done on Anne’s blood. “Today we got an update that there is an ongoing investigation pending a blood result. If it shows that the driver was intoxicated, they will be charged with a misdemeanor hit and run. The case will be presented to the city district attorney’s office,” they explained. The LAPD official did not confirm that the pending blood test was for the actress, but HL was able to confirm independently.
UPDATE (8/6/2022 @ 4:50 PM EST): Anne Heche’s rep has also issued a statement. “Anne is currently in stable condition,” the rep confirmed to HL. on Aug. 6. “Her family and friends ask for your thoughts and prayers and to respect her privacy during this difficult time.”
UPDATE (8/6/2022 @ 1:35 p.m. EST): Anne Heche remains in ICU where she is intubated, a rep for the actress confirmed to HL. on Aug. 6. “Anne is in the ICU, she’s lucky to be alive. She has severe burns and has a long recovery ahead. Her team and her family are still trying to process what led up to the crash,” the insider told the outlet. Her ex-boyfriend Thomas Jane also said that she is expected to “pull through” to the Daily Mail.
ORIGINAL STORY: Vanish actress Anne Heche, 53, was taken to the hospital after she crashed into an apartment building and then a residential home in Los Angeles on Aug. 5, per TMZ. Witnesses told TMZ that bystanders tried getting her out of the car after the first collision, but she speedily drove away. “The vehicle was heading east on Preston Way at a high rate of speed, entered the T intersection at Preston Way and Walgrove Ave, ran off the road, and collided with the residence in the 1700 block of Walgrove,” a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson confirmed to Deadline regarding the second crash. Anne’s car then caught fire and caused the house to be “engulfed” in flames.
The fire department and paramedics were called to the scene, where Anne was taken away on a stretcher to a nearby hospital. “Fifty-nine Firefighters took 65 minutes to access, confine and fully extinguish the stubborn flames within the heavily damaged structure,” Brian Humphrey, from the Los Angeles Fire Department, told Deadline. Anne is believed to have suffered from burns, but the extent of the burns is not yet known, according to TMZ.
Anne is thought to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of her crash, as “a bottle with a red cap” was seen within reaching distance next to her gear shift. Anne, who is known for a string of films in the late ’90s such as Six Days Seven Nights, Volcano, and Donnie Brasco, as well as her highly publicized romance with Ellen DeGeneres, has spoken about her struggles with substance abuse before. “I drank. I smoked. I did drugs. I had sex with people,” the Emmy-nominated actress told ABC News in 2020 when recalling the sexual abuse against her by her father as a child. “I did anything I could to get the shame out of my life.”
She has also faced financial troubles in recent years. In 2009, she went through a costly divorce from her ex-husband Coleman Laffoon, which resulted in her having to pay the cameraman $500,000 and $3,700 a month in child support for their one son, Homer (although her originally amount was $15,000 per month), per the Daily Mail. In 2016, she asked a court to lower her child support because she could no longer afford the payments.
Although she slowed down a bit after becoming a mother, Anne has seemingly been quite busy on the professional front as of late. At the time of this writing, she has seven projects in various stages of completion, per IMDb. She also had a satirical short film, Hardboiled, come out in 2022.
HollywoodLife reached out to Anne’s representatives and the LAPD but did not receive an immediate response.