WASHINGTON: Anne Heche is in critical condition after a fiery car crash last week, and may not survive, said a representative of the actor’s family and friends.
The kin of the 53-year-old actor had been hoping for a miracle following her horrific car crash on August 5. Her closest ones are making the difficult decision to take her off the life support system after she was pronounced brain dead by the doctors after her accident.
The Emmy winner is being put on a ventilator until the doctors are able to determine if the fatal car crash left any of her organs damaged, reported Deadline Hollywood, an online news site.
“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,” Deadline Hollywood quoted the unnamed representative as saying.
Wishes have been pouring in for the American actor ever since the news of her car crash came out. Fans and well-wishers have been sending messages on social media, praying for her speedy recovery.
“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,” the representative said.
The spokesperson also revealed that the actor always wanted to donate her organs, but the doctors now have to ascertain the possibility of fulfilling her wish. “It has long been her choice to donate her organs and she is being kept on life support to determine if any are viable,” the representative added.
“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.”
There are plans for Heche to get Honor Walk, a hero’s goodbye to donor patients by hospital staff as they are wheeled into the operating room in their final journey, according to the news portal.
Since August 5, the ‘Wild Card’ actor had been hospitalized after her car crashed into a Mar Vista House, causing the vehicle to catch fire, turning it into a fireball of sorts. However, the house’s owner and the actor’s pet were able to be evacuated.
Fifty-five firefighters had to battle the blaze, which engulfed both Heche’s car and the house, for almost 65 minutes until she could be pulled out of the wreckage. Heche was reportedly able to communicate at the time of her rescue but lost consciousness shortly thereafter and never regained it. She has been in a coma ever since, various reports say. She has, since then, been in an extremely critical condition.
“She has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention,” informed the actor’s representative.
There had been a lot of speculation about Heche’s condition before the crash as she was filmed driving erratically and speeding in the minutes prior to the accident, including getting into another, minor car accident. A blood test, performed at the time of her hospitalization, revealed that the actor was allegedly inebriated.
On Wednesday, Deadline Hollywood quoted officer Lizeth Lomeli of the LAPD saying that “based on the blood work, it revealed the presence of narcotics.”
Heche had recently wrapped filming Lifetime’s movie ‘Girl In Room 13’, which explores the dark underworld of the 150-billion-dollar human trafficking industry.
Amy Winter, executive vice president and head of programming for Lifetime Networks, addressed Heche’s accident on Thursday during a panel for the film at the Television Critics Association virtual press tour. Winter stated that the film was still scheduled to premiere in September as planned.
“This project is important to Anne, along with each and every one of us.” We all sought to make a film that would bring attention to this appalling issue of human sex trafficking. We hope that this film reached you and that you are just as inspired as Anne was to help us with our mission to stop violence against women,” said Winter. (ANI)