Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s sister-in-law, Angela Chao, allegedly panicked and contacted her friends after inadvertently driving her Tesla into a pond, where she drowned.
According to a report, Chao’s car sank into a pond at a ranch in Texas on February 10 after she inadvertently threw it in reverse rather than drive while attempting a three-point turn (or K-turn).
A group of Harvard Business School friends was reportedly invited by the billionaire and ex-CEO of Foremost Group to her 10-bedroom guesthouse in the Texas Hill Country, her secondary private estate. Because it was too chilly to walk back to her main house at 11:30 p.m., Chao opted to drive her Tesla, which took four minutes, instead.
According to a source, McConnell’s sister-in-law steered her Tesla Model X SUV into the water after failing to execute a K-turn, causing it to sink quickly. One of her companions even jumped into the water as they hurried to assist her in escaping the car.
According to the source, emergency units from Blanco County did not arrive until after midnight, one hour and twenty-four minutes after the incident report. Several rescue workers got out of their cars because of the dangerous terrain and tried, but failed, to smash the windows of the vehicle. A two-man rescue team managed to get the Tesla out of the pond around 1 a.m. Despite nearly an hour’s attempt at resuscitation efforts, Chao remained unconscious and could not be revived.
According to reports, Chao may have perished because her Tesla’s reinforced windows were difficult to smash while rescuers frantically tried to reach her. Rescuers, including friends, firemen, a ranch manager, paramedics, and sheriff’s officers, spent a lot of time and effort trying to smash the windows, but to no avail.
Chao’s Tesla Model X uses tempered and laminated glass, which is nearly impossible to shatter, to prevent passengers from being ejected in a collision.
Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell announced his retirement on February 28 in a floor address, citing Chao’s death as the reason for his departure.
