Anne Heche - 53 - dies after fiery car crash in Los Angeles August 5 2022

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Cocaine, canabinoids and fentanyl (possibly medical) in her urine plus an 80 mph crash in a 25 zone and the coroner ruled "no conclusive evidence she was impaired by drugs." I also have never seen any report of her blood alcohol content either. Probably no sample taken in the window immediately following the accident.
 
evilwise said:
Cocaine, canabinoids and fentanyl (possibly medical) in her urine plus an 80 mph crash in a 25 zone and the coroner ruled "no conclusive evidence she was impaired by drugs." I also have never seen any report of her blood alcohol content either. Probably no sample taken in the window immediately following the accident.
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The press reports about the drug testing results have not been consistent. About the only consistently-reported fact I've seen is that the fentanyl might have been administered at the hospital. So I don't know that we know what was done or found. But presumably the coroner did know what was done and found before ruling there was no conclusive evidence.

Depending on the test used, positive results can be found for pot up to 30 days after usage and for cocaine for at least a day. So positive results would not necessarily indicate she was impaired at the time of the crash. And I doubt medical personnel were initially concerned about doing extensive drug testing on such an severely injured woman.
JMO
 
NCWatcher said:
It almost seems they should quit doing that segment. She's not the only one missed (although arguably she might be the biggest actor not associated with TV acting who was missed this time.) But every single year multiple people are missed who shouldn't have been.
JMO
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I haven't watched an Oscars in a million years. But it does seem like I hear every year of omissions from this list. You're right: maybe they should stop doing it. Plus it would give more time for ridiculous speeches.
 
evilwise said:
When you refuse a breathalyzer there's no conclusive evidence either - but they still arrest you.
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The law in many states allows for arresting a person who refuses to take a breathalyzer test when asked to do so by an officer. That in itself is a crime. But that does not mean the refusal = conclusive evidence of impairment. Would we expect the coroner to rule Anne must have been using drugs because she drove 80 mph and crashed? I certainly hope not. No conclusive evidence just means based on all the data he/she had, the coroner could not rule she was definitely under the influence at the time of the crash. And does it really matter? There's enough evidence of fault that civil cases will go against her estate whether she was under the influence or not.
JMO
 
NCWatcher said:
The law in many states allows for arresting a person who refuses to take a breathalyzer test when asked to do so by an officer. That in itself is a crime. But that does not mean the refusal = conclusive evidence of impairment. Would we expect the coroner to rule Anne must have been using drugs because she drove 80 mph and crashed? I certainly hope not. No conclusive evidence just means based on all the data he/she had, the coroner could not rule she was definitely under the influence at the time of the crash. And does it really matter? There's enough evidence of fault that civil cases will go against her estate whether she was under the influence or not.
JMO
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There seems to be a lot of confusion on testing. In DUI stop, an officer can require a breath test and if a person refuses, often the police can request and receive a warrant for blood testing. This is done usually telephonically and a blood draw done soon. In a traffic accident situation, things are different. Police may request an immediate sample at the ER. But a coroner's report later will likely show presence of drug/alcohol, but I'm not sure that specific levels can be shown at that time.
 
evilwise said:
Cocaine, canabinoids and fentanyl (possibly medical) in her urine plus an 80 mph crash in a 25 zone and the coroner ruled "no conclusive evidence she was impaired by drugs." I also have never seen any report of her blood alcohol content either. Probably no sample taken in the window immediately following the accident.
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Per the somewhat (like mainly not but still) reliable dailymail they mentioned
"Blood tests showed that she had cocaine and fentanyl in her system when the high-speed crash occurred, but officials confirmed that she had not been drinking alcohol – despite being pictured earlier with a vodka bottle in her cupholder."

per nypost.com
"The report noted tests on Heche’s urine found cocaine, cannabinoids and fentanyl, but it also pointed out she was given fentanyl in the hospital after the crash."
"Separate tests on her blood indicated prior use of benzoylecgonine, which is a toxic metabolite that occurs after cocaine use, but led the coroner to conclude, “There was no evidence of impairment by illicit substances at the time of the crash,” the report said."

Also she had a broken sternum which was a contributing factor to her death
 
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Hope32 said:
Per the somewhat (like mainly not but still) reliable dailymail they mentioned
"Blood tests showed that she had cocaine and fentanyl in her system when the high-speed crash occurred, but officials confirmed that she had not been drinking alcohol – despite being pictured earlier with a vodka bottle in her cupholder."
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What was the DM's source on that?
 
PrairieWind said:
There seems to be a lot of confusion on testing. In DUI stop, an officer can require a breath test and if a person refuses, often the police can request and receive a warrant for blood testing. This is done usually telephonically and a blood draw done soon. In a traffic accident situation, things are different. Police may request an immediate sample at the ER. But a coroner's report later will likely show presence of drug/alcohol, but I'm not sure that specific levels can be shown at that time.
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In my state refusal of a breathalyzer after a DUI arrest results in the loss of driving privileges for a year. Period. While one can ask for a hearing, the penalty almost always stands. Refusal is considered a breach of law. And yes, a warrant could be obtained for a blood draw.

But in Anne's case, could specific times of use of drugs be determined by the coroner? Pot, for example? It was reported that was in her system but does that mean she ingested it before driving that day? For example, this link suggests "testing for marijuana especially in urine, detects evidence of use, not current intoxication.." Do other tests show current intoxication? The fentanyl reportedly detected was thought to have been hospital-administered but I thought that was based on the likely need for painkillers and hospital records, not a test that said when it entered her body.
JMO
 
You can test positive for some substances, which may have a longer half life, being in your system longer, and not be an active user, (ie, that day).

Anne Heche is dead, and thankfully, the accident did not injure anyone else. She was a beautiful person, who appeared to be loved by many. Should it matter what occurred? Who knows...
 
mickey2942 said:
You can test positive for some substances, which may have a longer half life, being in your system longer, and not be an active user, (ie, that day).

Anne Heche is dead, and thankfully, the accident did not injure anyone else. She was a beautiful person, who appeared to be loved by many. Should it matter what occurred? Who knows...
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Why is it still being discussed?
Is it important for Insurance matters?
Was the owner of the destroyed house compensated?

I lost touch with this case.
 
NCWatcher said:
In my state refusal of a breathalyzer after a DUI arrest results in the loss of driving privileges for a year. Period. While one can ask for a hearing, the penalty almost always stands. Refusal is considered a breach of law. And yes, a warrant could be obtained for a blood draw.

But in Anne's case, could specific times of use of drugs be determined by the coroner? Pot, for example? It was reported that was in her system but does that mean she ingested it before driving that day? For example, this link suggests "testing for marijuana especially in urine, detects evidence of use, not current intoxication.." Do other tests show current intoxication? The fentanyl reportedly detected was thought to have been hospital-administered but I thought that was based on the likely need for painkillers and hospital records, not a test that said when it entered her body.
JMO
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When a person refuses a breathalyzer they lose their license for a year (or similar situations depending upon state). That is an administrative function that is independent of a criminal DUI case. You can be completely acquitted on a DUI trial and still not get your license back if you refused the test.

As for the coroner, I think this really depends on the ME tests. I don't know enough about some of this to offer much. I think an ME gets as much info as they can to determine cause of death and related factors. I think it is easier to determine alcohol levels that MJ. Alcohol is processed at a pretty consistent and fairly rapid rate. MJ is more difficult is my understanding. My understanding was that the autopsy showed use of MJ but not at the time of the accident, and fentanyl presence that was likely hospital administered. I don't know how those timelines are determined. I would want to know when the blood/urine samples were obtained. That would be important.

I should add that I think it is really rather irrelevant whether she was intoxicated at the time of the crash. At this point I don't think it makes much of a difference from a legal standpoint. Maybe there is an effort to hold others responsible? I'm not sure.
 
PrairieWind said:
When a person refuses a breathalyzer they lose their license for a year (or similar situations depending upon state). That is an administrative function that is independent of a criminal DUI case. You can be completely acquitted on a DUI trial and still not get your license back if you refused the test.

As for the coroner, I think this really depends on the ME tests. I don't know enough about some of this to offer much. I think an ME gets as much info as they can to determine cause of death and related factors. I think it is easier to determine alcohol levels that MJ. Alcohol is processed at a pretty consistent and fairly rapid rate. MJ is more difficult is my understanding. My understanding was that the autopsy showed use of MJ but not at the time of the accident, and fentanyl presence that was likely hospital administered. I don't know how those timelines are determined. I would want to know when the blood/urine samples were obtained. That would be important.

I should add that I think it is really rather irrelevant whether she was intoxicated at the time of the crash. At this point I don't think it makes much of a difference from a legal standpoint. Maybe there is an effort to hold others responsible? I'm not sure.
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Thanks. Yes, the breathalyzer refusal penalty is independent of the DUI charge. Refusal is also not "conclusive evidence" of impairment.

As I said a few comments back, I'm not sure either why it matters now whether Anne was impaired by drugs. But once the topic of test results/evidence was raised I did want to know more about testing. It was always my impression tests aren't accurate at showing current intoxication for drugs other than alcohol. (And for alcohol only because we've decided anything over a certain blood concentration = intoxication.)
JMO
 
NCWatcher said:
Thanks. Yes, the breathalyzer refusal penalty is independent of the DUI charge. Refusal is also not "conclusive evidence" of impairment.

As I said a few comments back, I'm not sure either why it matters now whether Anne was impaired by drugs. But once the topic of test results/evidence was raised I did want to know more about testing. It was always my impression tests aren't accurate at showing current intoxication for drugs other than alcohol. (And for alcohol only because we've decided anything over a certain blood concentration = intoxication.)
JMO
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I think we were all curious. After seeing the video of her and the potential vodka bottle in the console, I assumed she was drunk. So I was quite surprised to see a report that said she was not. I honestly am a little dubious of that. Her behavior in the car (where she appears to have hit the garage) sure seems like she is intoxicated. Why did she bump into the storage garage, why did she react the way she did, why did she speed away, why did she run into a house?
 
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