(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) New details have emerged surrounding the suspicious death of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s sister-in-law, Angela Chao, who drowned after mistakenly reversing her Tesla Model X into a Texas pond on Feb. 11.
The Wall Street Journal suggested Saturday that Chao may have died due to the strengthened windows on her Tesla, which proved “nearly impossible” to break as individuals desperately attempted a rescue.
Shortly after entering the pond, Chao made a desperate call to friends. Friends, a ranch manager, paramedics, firefighters and sheriff’s deputies made numerous attempts over hours to break the windows, but their rescue efforts proved in vain.
A mistake in a Tesla. A panicked final call. The story of the tragic error that killed Angela Chao. https://t.co/quTqqsXnEe https://t.co/quTqqsXnEe
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) March 10, 2024
Despite these revelations, Texas law enforcement officials are actively leading an investigation. According to NBC Los Angeles, the Blanco County Sheriff’s Office emphasizes that this “was not a typical accident” and is currently reviewing the evidence of the case before ruling out potential criminal activity.
The recent revelations may offer some closure to the mourning family members of Chao, a 50-year-old billionaire shipping magnate and sister of former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who has been married to McConnell since 1993.
Chao’s Tesla Model X used tempered and laminated glass designed to protect passengers from being thrown out in a crash. However, underwater, such materials are “nearly impossible” to break, as noted by the American Automobile Association.
Chao was attempting a three-point turn before hitting the pond, and despite a tow truck arriving post-rescue attempts, it lacked a cord long enough to reach the submerged Tesla.
After the car was finally pulled from the pond, hundreds of gallons poured out, and Chao was found unresponsive. Despite 43 minutes of revival attempts, she was eventually declared dead.
In a Feb. 28 speech before the Senate floor, McConnell, the longest-serving Republican Senate leader, cited Chao’s passing as a reason for his decision to retire.
“As some of you may know, this has been a particularly difficult time for my family, McConnell said. “We tragically lost Elaine’s youngest sister, Angela a few weeks ago. When you lose a loved one, particularly at a young age, there is a certain introspection that accompanies the grieving process.”
McConnell added: “Perhaps it is God’s way of reminding you of your own life’s journey to reprioritize the impact on the world that we will all inevitably leave behind. I turned 82 last week. The end of my contributions are closer than I’d prefer.”
