Angela Chao, the billionaire sister-in-law of Sen. Mitch McConnell, was reportedly fighting for her last moments alive as her Tesla slowly sank into a pond at a remote ranch in Texas. He said he spent the time asking friends for help.
Chao, a billionaire and former CEO of dry bulk transport giant Foremost Group, tragically died at the age of 50 on February 10 when he accidentally backed his car into a pond during a three-point turn. died in
Details of the driving accident are contained in the following report. wall street journal It sheds light on a chaotic rescue operation that ultimately failed and turned a celebratory weekend with friends into a nightmare.
The newspaper reported that Chao had invited some of his girlfriends from Harvard Business School to spend the weekend at his luxurious 900-acre private estate in the Texas Hill Country. It also included horse stables, a swimming pool, and a 10-bedroom guesthouse.
After celebrating Lunar New Year by having dinner together on Friday night, Chao left the guesthouse around 11:30 p.m. and returned to the main house where her son was sleeping.It was cold outside her so she decided to take tesla The Model X SUV can be reached in 4 minutes by car instead of walking.
But within minutes, she called one of her friends in a panic. She told them that when she made a K-turn, she put her car in reverse without driving. While reversing, the car went over an embankment and fell into a pond, where it quickly sank.
Her friends immediately rushed to her aid and one of the women jumped into the pond, the newspaper reported. When the farm manager and his wife came outside after hearing the commotion, someone called 911.
Blanco County emergency crews finally arrived at 12:28 a.m., according to an incident report obtained by the newspaper. This was a full 24 minutes after the report was received. Because of the rugged terrain, many rescue workers got out of their cars and walked to the scene.
One respondent explained that the Tesla was completely submerged in water. At one point, sheriff’s deputies stood over it and tried to pry the window open during rescue efforts.
A dive team was needed, but none was available, according to the accident report.
A tow truck arrived to remove the car from the pond, but the cable was not long enough to reach the car, and the car was further out of the pond than responders expected.
Finally, the long cable was recovered. However, at least one tow truck driver said he feared electrocution from the electric vehicle, a source at the scene told the newspaper.
Two rescue workers finally pulled Chao out of the car around 12:56 a.m., police said. When the door opened, hundreds of gallons of water sprayed out of the car.
Police said Chao was unresponsive and paramedics tried to revive him for 43 minutes to no avail.
Few details are known about the billionaire’s death. The Blanco County Sheriff’s Office last week called it an “unfortunate accident” but said it was still conducting a criminal investigation.
“Although preliminary investigation indicates this was an unfortunate accident, the Sheriff’s Office has sufficient evidence to rule out criminal activity,” the Blanco County Sheriff’s Office said in a letter to the state attorney general Thursday. “We will continue to investigate this incident as a criminal matter until we obtain the results.” Ken Paxton.
“This incident was not a typical accident,” the agency added.
The ranch where Chao died is owned by a company connected to Chao’s husband, Jim Breyer. Jim Breyer is a venture capitalist and co-owner of the Boston Celtics with an estimated net worth of $2.9 billion.
Mr. Chao’s sister, Elaine Chao, who is married to Mr. McConnell, served as secretary of labor under President George W. Bush and secretary of transportation under President Donald Trump.
