Hollywood has seen several deaths this year, and one of the most shocking and heartbreaking news is Anne Heche's passing. The late actress died after slipping into a coma following a tragic car crash, and after several claims about it, her final autopsy has finally come out.
The autopsy revealed Heche had an array of drugs in her system when she fatally crashed her car in August. But though her urine tested positive for cocaine, cannabinoids, benzodiazepines, and fentanyl, she didn't die of an overdose and wasn't even high when the accident occurred.
The Post obtained the Los Angeles County medical examiner coroner's report. It was later determined that the fentanyl seen in her system was administered in the hospital after getting some treatments for pain.
Also, despite the presence of the cocktail of drugs, the coroner cleared that they didn't find any evidence of "impairment by illicit substances at the time of the crash." This just meant that she wasn't high when the car crash occurred, and she died.
Hence, the medical examiner ruled her passing as an accident caused by inhalation and thermal injuries. It was also a result of the fracture to her breastbone, while the blunt force trauma also contributed to her demise.
Sternal fractures are often caused by striking the driver's chest on the steering wheel, per Page Six. According to the coroner, it would result in a type of injury that would make breathing painful.
The toxicology report also stated that Heche was trapped in her car for about half an hour before the first responders arrived and removed her from the vehicle. Her car was already burnt at the time, and her clothes were almost entirely charred.
In fact, 12 percent of the "Spread" star's body already had second-degree burns. The right side of her face/neck, right shoulder, left upper chest, and upper extremities were scorched.
Interestingly, TMZ added that no alcohol was found in Heche's system after seeing a bottle inside her Mini Cooper before the accident occurred.
The publication broke the news that the mother-of-two was seen driving erratically through the Mar Vista neighborhood in Los Angeles on August 5 before she slammed into the garage of an apartment complex.
She then backed up, sped off, and hit another vehicle before she slammed into another house and caught fire. Photos from the scene saw her being put on a stretcher.
She appeared to be responsive as the paramedics loaded her into the ambulance. However, she later slipped into a coma and never regained consciousness.
Heche was declared brain dead on August 11, which the coroner listed as the day of her death. After finding a matching recipient for her organs, she was taken off her life support on August 15. Heche was 53.
