Angela Chao, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s sister-in-law, reportedly called her friends in a panic after backing her Tesla into a pond by accident.
Chao accidentally put her vehicle into reverse instead of drive while attempting a three-point turn, causing it to go backward and sink into the remote body of water at a Texas ranch on Feb. 10, a new report claims, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Mitch McConnell’s billionaire sister-in-law Angela Chao made panicked last call before dying in ‘completely submerged’ Tesla on Texas ranch: report https://t.co/qqtHayOBc3 pic.twitter.com/qyYauGkIo1
— New York Post (@nypost) March 9, 2024
The billionaire and former Foremost Group CEO hosted a gathering of several friends from Harvard Business School at her secondary private residence including a 10-bedroom guesthouse in Texas’ Hill Country, according to the outlet. Chao decided to drive her Tesla four minutes to return to her primary residence instead of walking at 11:30 p.m. due to the cold weather.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 15: (L-R) Angela Chao and Jim Breyer arrive at the Ninth Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on April 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 12: (L-R) Jim Breyer and Angela Chao attends the AFI Awards Luncheon at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on January 12, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
The Tesla Model X SUV sunk fast after McConnell’s sister-in-law backed into the pond after failing to make a K-turn, the outlet reported. Her friends rushed to help her escape the vehicle with one jumping into the water.
Blanco County emergency units arrived at 12:28 a.m., one hour after Chao’s Teslas entered the water and 24 minutes after the incident was reported, according to the outlet. Multiple emergency personnel exited their vehicles due to the rough terrain before unsuccessfully attempting to break the car’s windows, the outlet reported. One sheriff’s deputy stood on top of the Tesla. (RELATED: ‘That Got So Dark’: CNN Panel Gets Awkward When Conservative Guest Tries To Crack A Joke)
The Tesla was finally removed from the pond by a two-man rescue crew at 12:56 a.m., the outlet reported. However, Chao was unresponsive and EMS responders could not revive her after 43 minutes of resuscitation attempts.
WASHINGTON – JUNE 7: Senate Minority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and his wife Elaine L. Chao arrive at the White House June 7, 2011 in Washington, DC. Guests arrived to attend a state dinner being held by the Obama’s for German Chancellor Angela Merkel. This is the first official visit by a European leader to the White House since Obama became president. Merkel will be presented with the 2010 Medal of Freedom at a state dinner tonight. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)
McConnell reacted to the death of his sister-in-law on the Senate floor, according to CNBC. The Kentucky senator said that the incident caused a “particularly difficult time” for his family, adding that “there’s a certain introspection that accompanies the grieving process.”