After a car crash that engulfed her vehicle in flames, US actress Anne Heche is not expected to survive, her family has said.
She remains in a coma and had “a severe anoxic brain injury,” her family said. This situation happens when the brain is deprived of oxygen.
“We want to thank everyone for their kind wishes and prayers for Anne’s recovery and thank the dedicated staff and wonderful nurses,” they added.
Heche’s car crashed into a two-storey house in Los Angeles last week.
According to preliminary reports, police said that drugs and alcohol were found in the actress’s system but clarified that extra testing was need to rule out the substances given in hospital.
The Los Angeles Police Department told PA news agency the incident was being investigated as a felony driving-under-the-influence traffic collision.
53-year-old mother-of-two – Heche, has acted in movies including Donnie Brasco, Cedar Rapids and the 1998 Psycho remake.
She has also starred on Dancing with the Stars, America’s equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing. The actress is the former partner of famed talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.
Los Angeles Fire Department said that Heche’s vehicle “erupted in heavy fire” after it was driven 30ft (9.1m) into a two-storey home, leaving the property “uninhabitable”.
According to a statement issued by her family, Heche is being cared for at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills hospital and is on life support to determine whether her organs are viable for donation.
