Mitch McConnell’s billionaire sister-in-law Angela Chao made panicked last call before dying in ‘completely submerged’ Tesla on Texas ranch: report
Mitch McConnell’s billionaire sister-in-law Angela Chao made panicked last call before dying in ‘completely submerged’ Tesla on Texas ranch: report
Chao, the billionaire former CEO of dry bulk shipping giant Foremost Group, tragically died at the age of 50 on Feb. 10 after accidentally backing her car into the pond making a three-point turn.
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Could she not have opened the door or rolled down the window? The article made sure we knew that she went to Harvard and described the event she was attending, but no mention of why she was unable to exit the vehicle. Did she not know how to swim? Was their some obstruction? Did something malfunction? Was she so used to having other people do things for her that it just never occurred to her to do anything for herself?
Wasn’t there controversy about the Tesla shutting down when submerged and how you couldn’t open the windows or unlock the doors because they hadn’t built in emergency safety releases? Or was that a different earlier model that has been fixed by now?
See, now that is the type of information that would have been useful in the article. I don't care that the property "included horse stables, a swimming pool and a 10-bedroom guesthouse". I care how somebody got trapped in their car.
Thanks for sharing.
I was wondering myself why her net worth is an important part of the story. Why do we need to know her husband's net worth in a story about her dying in a pond?
because your net worth determines your value as a living being, silly!
The emergency opening on both front doors are purely mechanical though.
My recollection of the controversy was that there weren’t mechanical emergency window or door releases for the early models of Teslas, which became a huge safety concern especially with fires and submersion due to the battery either dying or being cut off. Had that changed, and/or is this specific model different?
Front doors have always had mechanical latch releases. Rear doors on some models do not have mechanical releases.
And this is why you carry a window breaker in your car if you live anywhere this might potentially happen. Equalizing pressure by breaking the shit out of your window (preferably the windshield so you have a larger area of escape) is not IDEAL, but it'll do in a pinch.
Do not try to go through Front the windshield, it's super specialized layered glass with a thick plastic center.
It's pretty much impossible to open a car door underwater. You'd need superhuman strength.
As to why the windows didn't roll down, I can only speculate.
Depends. You have to wait for the pressure to equalize to open the door. So once the car is filled up fully will you be able to open it. The problem is if you drove a car into a body of water, you might be panicking and not thinking through your actions
Easy to say when you know this and aren't in a sinking car.
That is literally the last sentence of my point.
Easy to say when you've already said it once in a comment above this one
Easy to say that when it's been 6 hours under water in your CAR
Not just that, the car starts turning upside down and it's completely dark with no air.
Why would the car turn upside down? All of the weight is at the bottom, and the buoyant part of the car that is filled with air is at the top.
My reference is a video on Mythbusters so it should apply to most ICE cars. One thing to note is that even if you're in an EV and the weight is at the bottom, the battery, motors are not perfectly 50/50 front/back or even 50/50 left and right. Also, its not like the car was gently entered the water. Any pitch or roll while entering the water will dramatically alter your car's position. Another factor is the water current.
Let's all agree that we all need a window breaking device inside our cars.
Let's all agree that we all need a window breaking device inside our cars.
Agreed! I bought a 3 pack for like $10 on Amazon and put one in my car, my wife's car, and my son's car. Now whether any of us will remember where that thing is, and remember to use it in an emergency, without any training, is an entirely different topic.
HAHAHA, I just bought it too. I bought one that has a flashlight built into it.
I remember that Adam Savage words when he simulated a car going into the water and how he described it as the worst thing that has ever happened to him. He said he was blind because his eyes stung when he opened his eyes underwater because the water was super dirty from how dirty the interior of the car was. Even when he could open them up, it was very dark. So that's why I'm thinking a flashlight would be a good idea too.
I bought this one. Its in Taiwan, but I'm sure you can find this somewhere on amazon. https://shopee.tw/倍思汽車安全錘迷你安全錘-Pro-650mAh-緊急玻璃破碎器窗戶安全帶切割器救生逃生錘刀片工具-i.1168298290.23563972335?xptdk=b478e6e6-3f53-40ac-95d5-1faf867227bd
Ideally you want to break the window before the water has filled the cabin. The more time you have to get out, the more likely you are to survive. Going into deep water in the middle of winter is probably a death sentence, even if you get out, unless you're close to somewhere you can warm up.
Ideally you roll down the window as soon as you can before the car's electrics shut down. Then you move to break the window. Then you wait until the car is depressurized to open the door.
If you go into the water and upside down and hanging from your seatbelt, this might be extra difficult.
Maybe someone can invent a product that detects if your car has been submerged and your door unlocks and windows automatically open instantly using waterproof backup batteries. Someone would become a thousandaire.
It's why us OGs learned how to crack auto glass with a spark plug stashed in the glove compartment. Just, don't tell any billionaires. 🤓
The windows here are designed to be indestructible though. I have no idea if they would actually withstand that, but they are not designed to break like regular car windows.
I think that all cars should be required to have an easily accessible and identifiable emergency escape tool though. One that can cut your seat belt and break the glass. I don't know why that hasn't been mandated, though we should make an exception if your networth is high enough.
You can get a seat belt cutter with a ceramic tip for pretty cheap too
Everyone should have one of these in their car, and keep it in an easily accessible place. They can save your life in an emergency, and you can buy one for a few bucks. Bonus points that they double as a pretty decent weapon if you're ever the victim of road rage.
People can be dumb, like really dumb. Now imagine being rich enough that you never have to learn anything and you think getting a Tesla is a good idea.