Details surrounding Anne Heche's cause of death have been released.
An autopsy report obtained by the New York Post has ruled the manner of Heche's death an accident and has dispelled previous reports that said the 53-year-old was high on drugs when she plowed her car into a Los Angeles home on Aug. 5.
This comes despite there being traces of cocaine, cannabinoids and fentanyl found in the Heche's urine. The report released by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office on Tuesday noted that Heche was given fentanyl in the hospital after the crash. Further, the coroner concluded that there was "no evidence of impairment by illicit substances at the time of the crash."
According to the report, Heche was trapped inside her burning Mini Cooper for about 30 minutes before being extricated by first responders. She died of "inhalation and thermal injuries" as well as a fracture of her sternum caused by blunt trauma during the crash.
The report noted that Heche suffered first-degree burns on 40% of her body as well as second-degree burns on the right side of her face/neck, right shoulder, left upper chest and her upper extremities. After the crash, Heche was rushed to an ER but later transferred to the Grossman Burn Center in West Hills, California. It was here that skin grafting was done on her neck, torso and upper and lower extremities, the Post reported.
Heche was pronounced brain dead at 6:38 p.m. Aug. 11 and 10 minutes later a second pronouncement was made and her organs and tissue were extracted for donation, the report said.
The Post noted that Heche was traveling about 80 mph in a 25-mph residential zone when she lost control of her vehicle and smashed into a house located on the 1700 block of Walgrove Avenue in Mar Vista, California.
"[Los Angeles Fire Department] may have taken as much as 30 minutes to extract the decedent due to the limited space and the lack of structural integrity of the residence," according to the report cited by the Post. "Consequently, the decedent may have inhaled a lot of smoke aside from the burns she sustained."
Heche's body was cremated Aug. 18 and her remains buried at the famous Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, where dozens of other prominent people, including Judy Garland, Mel Blanc, Mickey Rooney, Marion Davies, and Cecil B. DeMille, were laid to rest, according to Heche's death certificate obtained by E! News.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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