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Anne Heche's death ruled accidental after fiery car crash

Anne Heche
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles County coroner's office says actor Anne Heche died from burns and inhalation injury after her fiery car crash, and the death has been ruled an accident.

The cause of her death was released Wednesday on the coroner's website, although a formal autopsy report is still being completed.

According to the report, the 53-year-old fractured her sternum caused by "blunt trauma."

On Aug. 5, she plowed her car into a Los Angeles home and it caught fire.

Her family has said she suffered a severe brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen.

The coroner's office says she died on Aug. 11, but she wasn't removed from life support until Sunday, so her organs could be donated.

Detectives investigating the crash had said narcotics were found in a blood sample taken from the actress. However, the police ended their investigation after she was declared brain-dead.