Almost a month after US actress Anne Heche was involved in a serious car accident in Los Angeles, there is new information about the rescue of the 53-year-old. Heche was pronounced dead nine days after her accident. Records from the responsible fire brigade, which are available to the TV station NBC Los Angeles, now show: There were several complications when they were rescued from the burning building. The fire brigade forces were only able to start life-saving measures after 45 minutes. But from the beginning:
It's August 5, 2022 at 10:56 am when actress Anne Heche crashes her Mini Cooper into a house in Mar Vista, west Los Angeles. The car only comes to a stop after almost ten meters and catches fire, which quickly spreads to the entire building. Anne Heche is trapped and unconscious. From that point, it was 55 minutes before Heche was pulled from her car by firefighters.
The first fire engine arrives at the site at 11:01 a.m. This is also the moment when the first radio message is sent out about an injured person in the building. The firefighters assume, however, that it is a resident of the house. At 11.18 a.m. the next report came from a firefighter who was busy putting out the fire in the building: "We currently have no patients."
A few contradictory radio messages later, at 11:22 a.m., one of the commanders asked if there was anyone else in the car. Three minutes later, certainty: "We have identified a patient who cannot be reached at the moment. He is pressed against the floor plate," says a firefighter with an oxygen mask audibly on. A few minutes later it is clear: the injured is the actress Anne Heche - and she is alive.
In order to get the car and the injured occupant out of the still burning building as quickly as possible, the fire brigade is now using a tow truck. At 11:49 a.m., the success message came over the radio: "We have a patient in the car who is being examined and is immediately being loaded onto the stretcher for transport." From there, Heche, who is in a coma, goes first to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and then to West Hills Hospital for special treatment.
On August 12, 2022, her spokesperson publicly announces that Anne Heche is brain dead. Because the US actress is an organ donor, she will be kept alive until August 15, 2022. In the end, she can help eight people with her organ donation. She herself dies as a result of the car accident. The cause of death: smoke inhalation and severe burns from the accident.
Los Angeles Fire Department records, available to NBC Los Angeles broadcaster, show that it took firefighters at least 20 minutes to even spot Anne Heche. Deputy Fire Chief Richard Fields said: "Given the intense fire and heavy smoke, it was not possible to look inside or reach the vehicle."
And even if the firefighters had discovered them earlier, according to Fields, that wouldn't have changed the procedure. He is certain: "Our firefighters have done everything."
Quelle: NBC Los Angeles
