Anne Heche ‘Not Expected to Survive’ and Is Being Kept on Life Support in Hope of Donating Organs, Says Family

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Anne Heche is “not expected to survive” the injuries she suffered from an Aug. 5 car accident, her family and friends said in a statement Friday.

Heche was reportedly driving at a high rate of speed when she crashed into the garage of an apartment complex, put her car in reverse and drove off, and crashed into another nearby home a short while later. Both her car and the home were engulfed in flames. The actress was conscious in the immediate aftermath of the accident and reportedly suffered severe burns. She was taken to the hospital where she fell into a coma and never regained consciousness.

Video footage captured by helicopters over the accident scene by TMZ showed Heche acting “erratically” as she was removed from   her car by firefighters.

“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,” said the statement from Heche’s family and friends, according to CNN. “It has long been her choice to donate her organs and she is being kept on life support to determine if any are viable.”

An “anoxic” brain injury is due to oxygen deprivation.

The statement continued:

“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 statement continued.
In their message, her family and friends also paid tribute to Heche’s “huge heart” and “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,” the statement read. “She will be remembered for her courageous honesty and dearly missed for her light.”

CNN’s Poppy Harlow reported on the “sad news” about Heche Friday morning, bringing on reporter Chloe Melas, who has been covering the story from the beginning.

According to Melas, it took “about 30 minutes” for firefighters to free her from the car.

It was “always her wish to be an organ donor,” according to the family, Melas continued. “It is obviously a very touch-and-go situation right now.”

“And she’s a mother, right?” asked Harlow.

“Mother of two sons,” Melas replied.

Hours before this statement was released, said Melas, the LAPD told CNN they had “upgraded the investigation” from a misdemeanor DUI to a felony DUI, “based on a blood draw when she went to the hospital” last Friday. Heche was “going over 90 miles per hour,” and there were reportedly “narcotics and substances in her system,” but “they need to look more into this to see what did the hospital give her.” No charges have been filed against Heche so far.

“A real tragedy,” said Harlow.

This is a breaking story and has been updated.