911 call reveals neighbors' panic after Anne Heche crashed into occupied home in Mar Vista
MAR VISTA (KABC) -- The 911 call starts with a jarring observation: "A car just went through my neighbor's house."
Anne Heche had crashed her blue Mini Cooper into a home in Mar Vista on Aug. 5, and the caller, as heard in a recording, was unaware that the veteran actor was behind the wheel, or that anyone was still in the car at the time. The caller told the dispatcher that the car was about 10 feet into the house.
Everyone in the home was accounted for, the caller said, adding that he was unsure how many people were in the car when it crashed.
"Somebody is opening the back to see if we can access because they're kinda trapped ... inside the car," the caller continued. In the background, a voice yelled "fire!" and another one called out for hoses as the dispatcher tried to determine whether the smoke was in the home or car.
Heche's crash into the two-story house in the Mar Vista neighborhood ignited a fiery blaze that took 59 firefighters over an hour to extinguish, authorities said. She suffered serious burns and other injuries, and was in a coma until her death Aug. 14.
911 call and panic over a trapped victim
The 911 call provides insight into the panic at the scene of the crash.
In the frantic audio, the caller told dispatch that the car moved so fast, it's in the second room of the home. "Like 10 feet into the house," the caller said.
Later the caller told dispatch the car was on fire and the smoke was turning "really black," while others yelled in the background that someone was trapped in the car. Sirens blared in the background.
"Here comes the paramedic," the caller said. Dispatch urged the caller to stay on the phone until the medics start helping the victim.
A positive drug test and a dismissed investigation
Heche was hospitalized in critical condition following the crash.
Detectives got a search warrant for her blood sample, and tests later showed she was under the influence of narcotics, police said.
Her spokesperson told CNN the actress had a significant pulmonary injury that required a ventilator and severe burns. Her family and friends later said she also experienced a severe anoxic brain injury, which occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen.
Until her death, she was kept on life support to determine whether her organs were viable for donation and a match was made.
The Los Angeles Police Department initially announced that she was under investigation for felony DUI after her blood work showed signs of impairment, elevating it from a misdemeanor DUI.
After her death, authorities dropped their felony investigation into the crash, police said.
CNN contributed to this report.
