Anne Heche died due to smoke inhalation and thermal injuries, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner has said. The Hollywood actress’s death was ruled an accident, according to a coroner’s report seen by US media outlets.
Heche, 53, was “peacefully taken off life support” on Sunday, nine days after the car crash in which she suffered a “severe anoxic brain injury”. Her vehicle collided with a residence in the Mar Vista area of Los Angeles and became “engulfed in flames”.
The report also reportedly cited a “sternal fracture due to blunt trauma” as another “significant condition” contributing to her death. Following the crash, Heche was classified as “legally dead according to California law” but kept on life support in case her organs could be donated.
