David Manpearl, who resides in the vicinity and was the initial individual present at the location, informed The Post on Saturday, “I firmly believed she was completely charred and no longer present.” “I couldn’t fathom anyone enduring such a situation.”
Miraculously, 53-year-old Heche survived the crash on Friday morning, in which the occupant of the house, who had left the living room with her pets, plowed into her car moments before and moved into a room on the side of the house, destroying it.
Before the burning wreckage appeared, firefighters arrived and saw a man, identified as Heche, who appeared trapped inside. Helplessly, he watched as Manpearl tried to reach her fiery wreck.
Manpearl, a 58-year-old software engineer, was shocked when he saw a car speeding down a very narrow street. He was at his home in the Mar Vista neighborhood, located just north of Venice.
Home security footage obtained by a local CBS station showed a blue car recklessly speeding through a suburban-style community before the crash.
Officials stated that she subsequently swerved into a petite residence, where she careened down Preston Way and departed, reversed her direction. However, onlookers attempted to extract the “Donnie Brasco” performer from the automobile as Heche maneuvered through a Mar Vista apartment complex and forcefully collided with a garage door. The harrowing event commenced a few minutes prior.
Manpearl commented on the rapidly moving vehicle, stating, “The automobile was traveling at a speed three times higher than it ought to have been. It zoomed past three intersections without any signs of turning, swerving, braking, or leaving skid marks.” “Initially, I considered the possibility of a car malfunction or a potential medical problem.”
Shortly after the car zoomed past, Manpearl was alerted and proceeded to the adjacent location, where he reported that Heche’s vehicle had crashed into the front of the house and had come to a halt approximately 50 feet towards the rear of the residence.
He stated, “The occupant could not promptly be contacted.” He mentioned that the occupant, aged 52, whom Manpearl indicated was leasing the residence, was roaming amidst the debris and requested assistance in rescuing her two canines and tortoise from the premises.
There was a significant amount of debris, Manpearl couldn’t determine the gender of the driver, he stated.
She mentioned instances where she said no. If she could lift her hand up and if everything was alright, Heche asked. He managed to crawl partway inside and open the back doors of the car.
Incapable of escaping, Heche remained seated in an erect position within the driver’s seat, completely surrounded by the car. Eventually, a “curtain of fire” emerged from the underside of the vehicle, several minutes after Manpearl attempted to approach Heche.
Manpearl exclaimed, “The inferno continued to grow in magnitude as she remained trapped inside the vehicle. The car was gradually surrounding her, and the flames were fervently caressing the roof. She appeared disoriented, as far as I could tell.”
Manpearl and two nearby residents attempted to utilize garden hoses and a fire extinguisher in an unsuccessful attempt to extinguish the fire.
“I had to back out of there because I was starting not to be able to breathe from the smoke,” he said.
Manpearl expressed concern for the resident just as much as Heche, as the resident lost almost everything in the devastating accident.
He stated, “The firemen retrieved a couple of items for her, including medication and documents.” That house was completely destroyed inch by inch. Everything was affected by the smoke. Her life has been completely disrupted. She only had limited renter’s insurance as a renter.
The resident stayed at Manpearl’s residence with her animals yesterday, until acquaintances arrived to accompany her, he mentioned.
Thomas Jane, the actress’s former boyfriend, expressed that she was anticipated to make a full recovery after being intubated due to severe burns at a hospital nearby, according to a statement.
