Actress Anne Heche is “unconscious” and in “critical condition” after she was involved in a fiery car crash Friday that damaged a Los Angeles home, her representative has confirmed to ABC News.
“Despite previous reports that Heche was stable, shortly after the accident, Anne Heche became unconscious, slipping into a coma and is in critical condition,” her representative said. “She has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention.”
The Los Angeles Police Department had confirmed Saturday that Heche, 53, was the driver in the solo-vehicle crash.
Law enforcement sources briefed on the crash and rescue told ABC News that first responders who pulled Heche out of the car were unsure she would live on Friday given the severity of her injuries. The sources said she was unable to talk and without an ID, which may have burned in the fire, and that it took police until Saturday to positively identify Heche.
LAPD sources told ABC News they suspect that Heche was allegedly driving at an excessive speed when the crash happened.
Police are investigating whether drugs or alcohol could have been involved, which is standard in such a crash, sources said. The LAPD has been unable to speak with Heche in the hospital due to her condition, sources said.
“Anne is currently in stable condition,” her representative had said in a statement to ABC News on Saturday. “Her family and friends ask for your thoughts and prayers and to respect her privacy during this difficult time.”
Anne Heche attends the Annual Directors Guild Of America Awards, March 12, 2022, in Beverly Hills, Calif.
WireImage/Getty Images, FILE
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, a driver struck a two-story home in the Mar Vista neighborhood around noon Friday, “causing structural compromise and erupting in heavy fire.” They rescued a woman found in the car, who was transported to an area hospital in critical condition, the LAFD said.
Nearly 60 firefighters responded to extinguish the “stubborn flames within the heavily damaged structure,” the department said.
There were no passengers in the car and no other injuries were reported, the LAFD said. The department would not confirm if Heche was the driver, citing medical privacy laws.
DMV records and police sources confirmed that the vehicle involved in the crash and fire was registered to Heche.
The LAPD’s West Traffic Division is investigating.
Authorities are also investigating an alleged misdemeanor hit-and-run incident before the fiery crash.
Police told ABC News no arrests have been made at this time.
Shawn Holley, the attorney for Lynne Mishele, the woman who was in the house at the time of the crash, issued a statement Monday, saying, “Ms. Mishele is devastated by what happened to her on Friday — not only because she and her pets almost lost their lives, but because all of her property, including items of profound sentimental value, were destroyed. She asks for privacy at this incredibly difficult time.”
Los Angeles firefighters responded to a fiery, single-car crash on Aug. 5, 2022.
KABC
Heche is known for films such as “Donnie Brasco” and “Six Days, Seven Nights” and the TV shows “Save Me” and “The Brave.” In 2020, she was a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars.”
She was nominated for a Tony for the 2004 production of “Twentieth Century.”
Her co-host on the podcast “Better Together with Anne & Heather,” Heather Boylston, also confirmed in a statement to ABC News Saturday that Heche is in stable condition.
ABC News’ Lisa Sivertsen contributed to this report.