Car Crashes

Ironman athlete Brian Kozera -- who was also a police officer and cancer survivor -- has tragically died at 44 years old ... after he was involved in a terrifying bicycle crash while he was training for an upcoming competition.

Kozera -- a 16-year veteran of the Norristown Police Dept. -- passed away after he struck a car on Saturday while he was biking in Caernarvon Township, PA.

According to a crash report, obtained by TMZ Sports, at around 9:48 AM ... Brian ran a stop sign and hit the passenger side of a pickup.

Kozera, according to the docs, was thrown from his bike and ended up being caught in the car's rear wheel. Cops say he was transported to a nearby hospital, but died from the injuries he suffered in the accident.

Kozera had been training for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii in October 2022 ... according to a statement from the Norristown Fraternal Order Of Police Lodge 31.

In 2014, Kozera was diagnosed with a rare cancer called Lymphocyte-depleted Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He later beat it in 2015 -- and said his battle with the disease gave him the push to become an Ironman athlete.

Kozera was slated to compete in three more events leading up to the competition in Hawaii ... before his untimely death, according to his blog.

Brian is survived by his wife and three young daughters.

Anne Heche was trapped in her vehicle as fire quickly spread and onlookers worked desperately to get her out ... and the panic plays out in the 911 call from the scene.

The caller -- who appears to be a neighbor of the home Anne crashed into -- tells the dispatcher Anne's car went through the home "very fast." At first, it doesn't appear the caller is aware of the fact Anne is trapped in the car, but you can hear people yelling in the background making it clear that someone is in trouble.

The call gets much more desperate when smoke starts to surround the vehicle -- and the caller works to get a water hose to the crash scene.

You can start to hear sirens in the background as the caller states the smoke is getting really black and fire breaks out ... and there's more shouting in the background about someone being trapped.

TMZ broke the story, it was August 5 when Anne crashed into the home -- an event that put her in a coma and eventually killed her. Law enforcement sources told us the actress had cocaine and possibly fentanyl in her system at the time of the crash.

New video from the scene of Anne Heche's fiery car crash shows a house in shambles ... it looks like a bomb went off inside the home where Anne's car barreled through.

TMZ obtained this footage from the Los Angeles home Anne smashed into with her Mini Cooper, and you see firefighters examining the charred remnants, trying to piece together what happened.

After looking at the video, it's incredible the woman living in the home, Lynne Mishele, was not killed when Anne came plowing through.

We're told Lynne had just walked into another room to do some chores when the house was suddenly the scene of a scary crash ... and the area Lynne was in, fortunately, did not collapse or immediately catch fire, unlike other parts of her home.

While Lynne survived, we're told she's having a hard time dealing with the fallout ... suffering from physical and mental injuries.

Lynne has attorney Shawn Holley on her side to help with next steps, like handling insurance claims and helping pick up the pieces of her life.

Holley tells TMZ ... "I am only here to help Lynne go through the process of dealing with insurance companies so that she can start rebuilding her life. This was never about lawsuits or making money. She has lost everything and is so appreciative of all the love and support she has received."

We broke the story ... Anne was behind the wheel in a horrific car crash August 5 when she drove into a home, igniting a blaze. Anne was very badly burned in the accident and lost consciousness shortly after, never came out. She was declared brain dead Friday and taken off life support Sunday evening.

Anne Heche's death came just before the release of her final movie, and the director tells us he's dedicating the film to her.

The film is "Wildfire: The Legend of The Cherokee Ghost Horse" ... director Eric Parkinson tells TMZ he's adding an "In Memoriam" as the movie's final shot, right before the final credits.

Eric tells us Anne was superb in the movie, which started filming back in 2019 before being delayed by the pandemic, and the entire cast and crew are devastated by her death.

Anne plays a rodeo trainer in the film, and Eric says during negotiations to hire her for the role, her agent cautioned she was not an experienced rider, so producers decided they needed a stunt double for some barrel racing scenes.

The plan for those riding scenes, we're told, was for Anne to slowly ride up on the horse and then cut to the stunt double ... but once they were on location in Oklahoma, Anne surprised everyone.

We're told Anne politely asked the stunt double to get off the horse, then climbed in the saddle and told Eric to roll ... and that's when she took off on the horse in a full gallop, executing the barrel turn and racing to the finish in record time.

Shocked, Eric says he went up to Anne and told her what her agent said about her not being an experienced rider ... to which Anne responded, "I'm not ... but my character is a champ!"

Kim Zolciak's daughter, Ariana, denied drinking and driving after crashing into another vehicle ... but cops say she did admit to vaping the night before.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, the 20-year-old reality star denied drinking any alcohol during her DUI bust over the weekend. Officers informed Zolciak they could smell alcohol on her breath and she allegedly stated the smell could be coming from her clothing.

Cops say Ariana admitted she "smoked a THC vape pen the night before but did not drink." During the back and forth, she maintained she had not been drinking -- but cops say she had a "noticeable sway" during field sobriety tests.

TMZ broke the story -- Ariana was arrested in Forsyth County, GA, Saturday, and booked on 3 charges ... misdemeanor DUI, misdemeanor improper/erratic lane change, and misdemeanor underage alcohol possession/purchase of alcohol.

The whole thing happened after she allegedly hit another vehicle.

Ariana's attorney, Justin Spizman tells us, "Despite Ariana’s constant invocation that she was upset and anxious from the minor accident, the officer incorrectly concluded she was impaired by alcohol. That was not the case. She wholly denies these allegations and intends to fight these charges because she is not guilty of them.”

"Outer Banks" star Chase Stokes is making a plea to get folks to stop drinking and driving after his stunt double was tragically killed in a hit-and-run car crash.

We caught up with Chase at LAX Friday, and he opened up about the devastating loss of 22-year-old Alexander 'AJ' Jennings. Chase tells us he's still processing the tragic loss, adding it's been tough on the entire cast.

TMZ broke the story ... AJ was killed on July 5 in a hit-in-run crash in South Carolina ... where "Outer Banks" was shooting season 3.

While Chase is completely heartbroken, he hopes this will be a HUGE lesson to other folks on the road. He says he's a big believer in people taking responsibility for their own actions ... saying drinking and driving is a downright stupid decision with real consequences.

A deeply disturbing hit-and-run was captured on dashcam in Chicago -- a crime that sent several bodies flying in the air ... and left the victims laid out helplessly on the pavement.

Check out this video that surfaced online Sunday ... depicting what appears to be a relatively small crowd of people arguing/fighting in the street in the very early morning -- when, all of a sudden, a silver sedan comes zooming through the road and literally mows them down.

WARNING: THIS VIDEO IS EXTREMELY GRAPHIC, SO WATCH AT YOUR OWN RISK.

When the vehicle makes contact with the group ... you can see a few of the people get flung up into the air and land on the ground. One male, wearing blue, was also struck -- but was spared the full impact of the car, and seemed to be moving on his own afterward.

Chicago PD tells TMZ ... this happened on the 7000 block of S. Jeffery Blvd near Jackson Park on the city's South Side. Four men were actually struck -- including the guy in blue -- and three of them were pronounced DOA when transported to the University of Chicago.

The other surviving member was taken to Stroger Hospital, but his condition is unknown. No one is in custody, and cops are looking for the vehicle/driver. There doesn't seem to be much of a description beyond the possible color. No further info is available at this time.

Anne Heche has died from injuries she suffered last Friday after driving her car through a Los Angeles home ... her rep tells TMZ Anne is "brain dead" and under California law that is the definition of death.

The rep adds life support machines are keeping Anne's heart beating for the purpose of preserving her organs for donations, however, the rep made it clear ... Anne has no brain function.

The actress died Friday at an L.A.-area hospital ... she was rushed there in a coma, in critical condition and never regained consciousness. We're told she suffered a severe anoxic brain injury -- complete oxygen deprivation to the brain.

Anne had a long and successful career in Hollywood, getting her start playing Vicky Hudson and Marley Love in the soap, "Another World," winning a Daytime Emmy.

When Anne moved over to the big screen, she landed roles in some huge movies ... including "Donnie Brasco," "Volcano," "I Know What You Did Last Summer," "Six Days Seven Nights," "Return to Paradise," the "Psycho" remake and "Wag the Dog."

Anne also starred in a number of TV shows, like "Men in Trees," "Hung," "Aftermath" and "The Brave" ... and she also did voice work for the animated TV series "The Legend of Korra."

During the first year of the pandemic, Anne was a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars."

Anne famously dated Ellen DeGeneres back in the day ... starting in 1997 until their highly-publicized split in August 2000 ... she ended up marrying cameraman Coleman Laffoon, whom she met on Ellen's stand-up comedy tour.

Heche had a child with Laffoon, but their marriage ended in divorce. Her next relationship was with her "Men in Trees" costar, James Tupper, with whom she had her second child. They split in 2018 after 10 years together.

TMZ broke the story ... LAPD sources say Anne was under the influence of cocaine and possibly fentanyl on Aug. 5 when she committed at least 2 hit-and-runs before crashing through a home and causing a fire.

Anne sustained significant injuries in the crash, including severe burns and lung damage.

Anne was 53.

RIP

Anne Heche was not under the influence of alcohol when she crashed her car into a home last Friday, but she was under the influence of cocaine ... this according to law enforcement sources, and possibly fentanyl as well.

LAPD sources tell TMZ ... the department has tested the blood they drew after Anne was admitted to the hospital, and in addition to cocaine, they also found fentanyl. However, our sources say fentanyl is sometimes used as a pain med in hospitals, so they need to do more testing and investigation to determine if the fentanyl was in her system at the time of the crash.

We are also told Anne's condition is dire ... it has not improved since she was admitted to the hospital. As we reported, Anne has been fighting for her life and is in critical condition.

As we reported, Anne was driving her Mini Cooper at an extremely high rate of speed last Friday in a residential area of L.A. when she crashed into a car, a garage and then a house, igniting a fire that severely burned her.

Cops say Marshawn Lynch appeared to be completely wasted during his DUI arrest earlier this week -- falling in and out of sleep during questioning and reeking of booze -- while telling officers he had stolen the car he was in.

The allegations are all spelled out in new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports on Thursday.

In the report, cops say they initially found Lynch at around 7:25 AM on Aug. 9 asleep at the wheel of a 2020 Shelby GT500 near the strip in Las Vegas.

According to officers in the docs, Lynch's car was beat up -- missing a tire and rim, while displaying "dents and dings" elsewhere. They also said roadway markings seemingly showed Lynch's car had slammed into sidewalk areas repeatedly before it had come to a stop.

Cops also say in the docs, when they were trying to speak to Lynch, he would talk, but would "then fall back asleep several times throughout the encounter."

Cops noted Lynch had just one shoe on, and claim the smell of an "alcoholic beverage" was coming out of the former Seattle Seahawks running back's car.

During the stop, cops say Lynch "stated that he was not drinking and he does not do drugs, but that he stole the vehicle."

Lynch then allegedly refused to get out of the car after officers asked him to exit the ride.

The 36-year-old was eventually arrested about half an hour after the stop was initiated ... but cops in the docs claim he continued to be uncooperative after officers had obtained a search warrant to get a blood sample from him.

"Lynch was not cooperative or willing to comply with the Search Warrant and corrections officers from the City of Las Vegas had to use a restraint chair to force a blood draw," officers wrote in the police report.

Lynch was ultimately booked on several charges, including DUI.

Marshawn's attorneys, Richard A. Schonfeld and David Z. Chesnoff, released a statement on the matter Thursday afternoon ... saying, "Marshawn was not pulled over for a DUI. Rather the vehicle was safely parked and not in operation. We are confident that when all evidence is presented, this will not be a DUI under Nevada law. Marshawn appreciates and is thankful for everyone’s concern and support."

Anne Heche's horrific crash into a California home now has the potential to land the actress into even deeper legal trouble ... she's now under investigation for felony DUI.

LAPD sources tell TMZ ... they've now upped the investigation to a felony because the woman inside the home Anne barreled through with her Mini Cooper claims she was injured -- suffering cuts requiring medical treatment.

Cops believe Anne was driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol ... because she was driving erratically and recklessly, hitting a garage and a parked car before slamming into the home.

Cops also took note of a photo of Anne in the car just before the crash, with what appeared to be a bottle of alcohol in a cup holder.

Anne's rep says the actress is still fighting for her life ... she lost consciousness shortly after the crash, and has been in a coma ever since.

TMZ broke the story, Anne almost struck a woman before hitting another vehicle and crashing into a garage in the moments leading up to the fiery explosion.

Issa Rae is showing her support, after a pregnant woman and 5 others died in a tragic car crash near her hometown ... donating money to help the woman's family in the wake of the devastating loss.

The family of 23-year-old Asherey Ryan set up a GoFundMe to raise $100K to help cover funeral expenses for the young mother. Not only was Asherey killed in the crash last week in Windsor Hills -- her 11-month-old son, Alonzo, and her unborn child also died -- the money raised will go toward their funeral expenses as well.

The family has received lots of support ... exceeding their goal by $50K. Issa Rae, who was raised in Inglewood, about 10 minutes from the crash site, is among those who have donated, chipping in $2,500.

Asherey was among 6 people who died in Thursday's fiery crash. Cops say 37-year-old Nicole Lorraine Linton was allegedly driving up to 100 mph, when she sped through a red light, slamming into several vehicles which ignited a massive blaze.

Surveillance video from a nearby business shows the horror of the accident.

Anne Heche is fighting for her life, currently in a coma and dealing with significant injuries in the wake of driving her car through a home in Los Angeles.

A rep for the actress tells TMZ, "Shortly after the accident, Anne Heche became unconscious, slipping into a coma and is in critical condition. She has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention."

TMZ broke the story, cops believe Heche was under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol when she committed at least 2 hit-and-runs before barreling through a home, igniting a massive blaze.

Law enforcement sources tell us they were able to get a warrant to obtain a sample of Anne's blood which will help them determine if she was under the influence.

Anne Heche clearly didn't care about the safety of others as she flew through neighborhood streets and alleyways -- at one point almost striking a woman -- before barreling through a home.

We've obtained new surveillance video showing Anne's blue Mini Cooper driving erratically in Mar Vista Friday. At one point, she almost hits a woman walking on the sidewalk, seemingly not even touching her brakes or swerving to avoid the possible collision.

We're told shortly after missing the woman, Anne struck another vehicle, a Jaguar, and then took off. Luckily, the driver of the Jaguar was not injured.

TMZ broke the story ... Anne drove through a home Friday, igniting a massive blaze. No one was killed in the crash, and Anne was hospitalized with severe burns. Prior to crashing into the house, we got footage of Anne after she'd crashed into a nearby garage -- she left that scene and then drove into the home.

Cops have obtained a warrant for a sample of Anne's blood. Our law enforcement sources say investigators believe she was under the influence of drugs and/or booze at the time of the wreck.

"Street Outlaws: Fastest in America" star Ryan Fellows was killed in a car accident during filming for the popular Discovery show, TMZ has learned.

A source connected to the show tells us the crash happened just outside Las Vegas early Sunday morning. Ryan was racing another driver in what was the 8th out of 9 races scheduled for the night for the show.

We're told Fellows was driving a gold Nissan 240z, and somehow lost control near the finish line, Ryan's vehicle rolled and caught fire ... onlookers were unable to get him out on time. Filming was ended for the day after the crash.

A spokesperson for Discovery tells us, "The Street Outlaws family is heartbroken by the accident that led to the tragic death of Ryan Fellows. We extend our deepest sympathy to Ryan's loved ones as they process this sudden and devastating loss.”

TMZ broke the story, earlier this year "Street Outlaws" star JJ Da Boss and his wife, Tricia, were involved in a wreck when filming for the show ... Tricia was hospitalized.

A GoFundMe created for Ryan's family reads, "Ryan was an avid car enthusiast and was a road 'warrior' in many ways that extended to loves of basketball, cars and business in sales/advertising. He was admired for tenacity and a relentless drive to overcome the challenges before him."

Anne Heche was involved in a wild crash in L.A. Friday, and has been taken away by ambulance in a stretcher.

The crash went down just after noon in the Mar Vista area of Los Angeles. Witnesses tell TMZ, she was driving a blue Mini Cooper and crashed into the garage of an apartment complex.

Residents of the apartment complex tried getting Anne out of the vehicle but she put the car in reverse and then sped off. A short time later, she crashed into a nearby home, igniting a fire. The fire was significant and engulfed the house.

Look closely at the photo of Anne inside the car (above) ... there's a bottle with a red cap in the cupholder next to the gearshift, and it looks like a bottle of alcohol.

Anne apparently suffered severe burns in the fire ... you see her clothes are charred as she's taken away on a stretcher. She's covered in a white cloth, when she suddenly sits up on the stretcher and starts flailing wildly as they put her in the ambulance.

We do not know the extent of her injuries or burns. We're told she's currently in the hospital intubated but expected to live. We're told her condition prevents doctors from performing any tests to determine if she was driving under the influence of alcohol.