For hours, Chao’s friends, the ranch manager and his wife, paramedics, firefighters, and sheriff’s deputies labored feverishly together to break windows or locate an escape hatch in order to free Chao from the car.
The WSJ article continues by elucidating why Chao might have found it challenging to flee. An automobile that is sinking gives a driver about a minute to escape. A driver could roll down the window to escape when cars had more manual mechanics, but doing so still required mental clarity, which can be difficult to come by in an emergency. Modern cars, like the Tesla Model X, give the driver a few seconds to depress the window button before the water level rises too high. Experts in vehicle safety say that shattering it is the only way out after that.
It is very difficult to break through tough tempered or laminated glass underwater, particularly in the context of contemporary car manufacturing. In the 2020 Model X, Tesla contemplated utilizing laminated glass, which is well-known for its safety features, such as averting ejection in the event of an accident. But according to tests conducted by the American Automobile Association, breaking it underwater is a difficult task.
Based on the WSJ investigation and further reporting, the general sequence of events that culminated in Chao’s death is as follows.
At 11:30 p.m., Chao drove her Tesla Model X SUV back to the main house, where her son was sleeping, following dinner and the Chinese New Year celebrations. because of the freezing weather on Friday night. Rather than walk the short distance, she decided to take a short drive.
She made a K-turn and, in a panic, put her car in reverse instead of drive. She then called a friend. Her car swiftly sank into a pond after sliding off an embankment as a result.
While some called 911, the woman’s friends jumped in to help when she needed assistance in the water. The noise startled the ranch manager and his spouse, who also acted quickly.
After receiving the call at 12:28 a.m., it took 24 minutes for emergency personnel in Blanco County to arrive at the scene. Responders had to dismount from their vehicles and walk to the scene due to the difficult terrain.
One witness claimed to have seen a Tesla submerged entirely. Sheriff’s deputies broke a window and stood atop the car in an attempt to free the occupants.
A dive crew was indicated as being required but not available in the event report. The car was farther out than expected, so a tow truck tried to pull it out of the pond, but ran out of cable.
Recalls by witnesses include a tense rescue operation with an electric car and worries about electrocution. When the doors were eventually opened at 12:56 a.m., gallons of water spilled out, making a longer cable essential to Chao’s escape from the car.
Despite their best efforts, EMS personnel were unable to bring Chao back to consciousness after 43 minutes of intense work.
The CEO of Foremost Group is Angela Chao, a Chinese shipping magnate’s daughter. She also held the positions of vice chair of the Council of China’s Foreign Trade and member of the Bank of China’s board. Interestingly, she was a director at the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, which builds ships for Foremost Group and the Chinese military. Additionally, Angela was connected to the esteemed Council on Foreign Relations.
Introducing Mitch McConnell’s sister, Elaine Chao, a former secretary of labor and transportation. Allegations were made in 2021 during an investigation that she had abused her position to help her family’s shipping company.
The inspector general of the Transportation Department presented a 44-page report detailing how Chao took advantage of her office staff for twelve personal tasks and work related to advancing the Foremost Group’s commercial development.
The Justice Department received complaints about alleged abuses by Chao but declined to look into them because there was not enough proof of criminal activity.
In departmental emails, Chao reportedly told her staff to invite her father, sister, and brother-in-law to formal functions and high-level meetings that were scheduled in connection with a departmental trip to China.
As disclosed by the New York Times, Chao took advantage of her position to enrich her family’s Chinese shipping business through advantageous government-backed loans totaling “hundreds of millions.”
The fleet of Foremost Group primarily serves China, according to The Times.
The report claims that Chao’s family has additional ties to the Chinese Communist Party outside of the shipping company. These ties include board positions in state-owned businesses and a close bond between Chao’s father and former Chinese President and General Secretary Jiang Zemin.
