A fiery scene, mangled car, a miracle to be alive. Keep watching to find out Anne Heche’s condition,
and what may have caused her terrifying accident.
On August 5th, Anne Heche crashed her Mini Cooper multiple times in a Los Angeles neighborhood.
Witnesses told TMZ that around noon, the 53-year-old actor crashed into a garage at
an apartment complex. As residents tried to pull her out of the car, Heche reversed the Mini and
quickly drove away. According to TMZ, shortly after the apartment accident, Heche crashed her
car again into a home, starting a big fire. The "Aftermath" star was taken away by ambulance in
a stretcher, leaving behind her charred car and a team of firefighters racing to put out the blaze.
Of course, concern for Heche poured out on social media.
Rosanna Arquette tweeted asking for prayers, calling the accident, quote,
"really tragic," while a fan expressed "healing love" toward the actor.
Given the serious circumstances of the crash, people are understandably curious to know
Heche's condition. According to reports, the star's injuries are quite concerning.
Sadly, TMZ reported Anne Heche is intubated — but the positive is she's expected to survive
her injuries. Other than that, not much is known about her condition outside of
the severe burns. Heche's camp said of the incident in a statement to People,
"We don't have enough information yet to comment."
Since Heche is currently intubated,
physicians have not done any tests to determine if she was driving under the influence. However,
Heche has been public about her substance use and mental health challenges, telling ABC News,
"I drank. I smoked. I did drugs. I had sex with
people. I did anything I could to get the shame out of my life."
Thankfully, no one else was injured in the crash,
as the Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed to People.
L.A. reporter Rachel Kim shared a video of Anne Heche's car after the crash, tweeting,
"Here's the now mangled vehicle owned by actress Anne Heche being towed away
after speeding and crashing into a Mar Vista home and sparking a fire."
The L.A. Fire Department also tweeted that 59 firefighters arrived to put out
the fire at the Mar Vista home. In a release about the accident,
firefighters reported that the driver was in critical condition.
Deadline reported that Fox11's eye in the sky Stu Mandel described the fiery scene, saying,
"If there's somebody alive in there this is going to be a miracle."
Law enforcement officials told the Los Angeles Times that the "Vanished" actor had
"significant burns" and appeared to be, quote, "under the influence and acting erratically."
After the Times reported that Heche might have been under the influence, a fan tweeted:
"I don't know if Anne Heche was under the influence but I really hope someone who
loves her gets her the help she needs quickly. She needs love and support."
Reporter Steve Huff tweeted,
"She's been pretty open about her mental health challenges
but as anyone who has had loved ones suffering from certain disorders knows,
there are many people who never treat their illness appropriately for very long."
As investigators speculate about Anne Heche's state of mind at the time of her crash, the actor
hasn't been shy about sharing the story behind her mental health and substance abuse issues in the
past. During an exclusive "20/20" interview with Barbara Walters in 2001, Heche revealed that she
spent the first 31 years of her life in the throes of mental illness because her father sexually
abused her as a child. In fact, for years, the actor thought she was two different people — a
coping mechanism she developed in response to her father's advances. Heche told Walters,
"I had a fantasy world that I escaped to. I called my other personality Celestia. I
believed I was from that world. I believed I was from another planet. I think I was insane."
This ultimately led to her subsequent struggle with substance abuse.
While the authorities have not yet determined if drugs or alcohol played a role in Heche's
fiery crash, TMZ noted that there appeared to be, quote, "a bottle with a red cap in the
cupholder next to the gearshift," which could have been "a bottle of alcohol."
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis
Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline
at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.