Angela Chao, the sister-in-law of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, reportedly met her demise in a tragic accident after inadvertently reversing her Tesla vehicle into a pond on her private ranch in Texas, as disclosed by The Wall Street Journal on Friday.
The unfortunate incident unfolded last month, claiming the life of Angela Chao, the CEO of shipping firm Foremost Group when her car submerged in the pond on her ranch. Distressing details have surfaced regarding the inability of first responders to break the car's glass window underwater and rescue the 50-year-old billionaire.
According to The Wall Street Journal's account, the sequence of events began when Angela Chao, returning home from an evening spent with friends, mistakenly engaged the reverse gear of her Tesla instead of putting it in drive mode, leading to the vehicle descending into the pond.
The tragic unfolding of events saw Angela Chao executing a three-point turn, inadvertently selecting reverse gear instead of drive mode, resulting in the car sliding into the pond.
During the weekend, Angela Chao had been celebrating the Chinese New Year with friends, while her husband, venture capitalist Jim Breyer, was engaged in a conference. As the Tesla submerged, Angela Chao urgently contacted her friends to apprise them of the situation. A friend promptly arrived at the scene and attempted a rescue by jumping into the pond before emergency services arrived.
The incident report revealed that it took a fire department crew approximately 24 minutes to reach the scene following the distress call, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Upon arrival, responders found Angela Chao's car completely submerged, with sheriff's deputies standing on it in their rescue efforts. Subsequent rescue operations involved setting up lighting and calling in diving teams, as well as deploying a tow truck. However, the truck's cable was reportedly insufficient, and concerns about electrocution hindered the rescue attempts.
Further complicating the situation, the type of glass used in Angela Chao's Tesla proved resistant to breaking underwater, making extraction challenging. When the vehicle was eventually recovered from the water, responders forced open the doors to find Angela Chao unresponsive.
Despite efforts to revive her, paramedics were unsuccessful, and Angela Chao was pronounced deceased. The incident is currently under investigation as part of a criminal probe by the Blanco County Sheriff's Office.
In response to his wife's tragic passing, Jim Breyer expressed profound sorrow, stating, "We are heartbroken." Jim Breyer, with an estimated net worth of $2.9 billion, is a part owner of the Boston Celtics and has served on the boards of various prominent companies.
Angela Chao's untimely demise deeply impacted her family, including McConnell, who announced his resignation as Senate Minority Leader. McConnell acknowledged the loss of his sister-in-law in a statement on the Senate floor, emphasizing the profound impact of losing a loved one, particularly at a young age.
