Last Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office officially ruled the death of actress Anne Heche an accident.
According to Medical Examiner, Heche, who was involved in a fiery car crash on August 5, died from inhalation injuries and burns.
The actress was declared dead on Thursday, August 11 at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills Hospital Medical Center but was kept on life support while her organs were donated. Her heart stopped beating on Sunday, August 14.
The coroner’s report listed her date of death as August 11.
The 53-year-old Heche was injured after her car jumped the curb, smashed into a West Los Angeles home, and burst into flames. According to the coroner, she suffered a fractured sternum from “blunt trauma” and a “severe anoxic brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen.
Police had been looking into the accident after blood tests revealed the presence of narcotics in Heche’s system. They were investigating whether the narcotics were introduced into her system before the accident or if they were part of her pain management at the hospital.
After her death, law enforcement officials announced the investigation had been closed.
Lynne Mishele, the woman whose house Heche crashed into, had been in the backyard at the time of the crash. A fund was set up to raise money to help Mishele pay for the damage. By last week, the fund had raised over $150,000.
