Details reveal the desperate attempt to save CEO Angela Chao, trapped in a submerged Tesla

Kinsey Crowley
, 
Chase Rogers
, 
Ryan Maxin
 USA TODAY NETWORK.oembed-frame{width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;border:0}

In February, several reports surfaced about the death of Angela Chao, a Texas-based CEO and the sister-in-law of Mitch McConnell.

Chao died in a “car accident,” the first reports stated, but in the following weeks, reporters at the Austin American-Statesman, part of the USA TODAY Network, have pieced together the details of incident, an hours-long, desperate attempt to save her life.

Chao is believed to have drowned after her Tesla veered into a pond on a private ranch in Texas. Local officials have been tight-lipped about the incident, but denied that there is a criminal investigation underway in a recent interview.

“It’s always been an unfortunate accident. We have not seen a single thing that would make us believe otherwise,” said Robert Woodring, chief deputy for the Blanco County sheriff’s office.

Here is what we know about Chao’s death:

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Deputies stood on top of submerged car trying to get Chao out

Shortly before midnight on Feb. 11, deputies responded to a private address outside of Austin, Texas for a possible water rescue. The property’s owner shares an address with Chao’s husband’s public equity firm.

EMS responders, deputies and firefighters responded to the scene over the next 30 minutes, according to a report authored by a firefighter and obtained by the Statesman. One of emergency officials said the car was “completely submerged” with someone inside. The Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal reported the car was a Tesla.

“The deputies were in the water standing on what they believed was the vehicle, trying to gain access to the possible victim inside the vehicle,” wrote fire Lt. Royce Penshorn in the report.

Other crew-members searched the banks of the pond for other victims and set up lighting. A tow truck arrived, but the chains couldn’t reach the car from the banks, Penshorn reported.

Meanwhile, the deputies atop the vehicle used myriad tools, including a pike pole and a Halligan bar, to try to break into the vehicle, the report said. It was approximately an hour before they got to Chao.

Dive teams not available for rescue

Rescuers pulled the woman from the vehicle at about 12:56 a.m., said the EMS chief Benjamin Oakley. EMS responders delivered “advanced life support” for 43 minutes to try to resuscitate her.

Chao was pronounced dead at the scene.

No dive team was available to be sent to the ranch, Penshorn’s report says. Oakley said no emergency response agencies in Blanco County have a dive team, so they rely on teams from neighboring counties when needed.

Such teams are generally tasked with recovering bodies, not rescues, he said.

Who was Angela Chao?

Chao, who lived in Austin, was CEO of Foremost Group, a New York-based global leader in the dry bulk shipping industry.

She took the helm of Foremost Group from her father, Dr. James S.C. Chao, who founded the company and served as its honorary chairman. She was a Harvard University graduate, earning both her undergraduate and graduate degrees there, according to her website.

Chao is also a published author on topics of economics, international trade and finance, and education.

She is survived by her husband Jim Breyer, an American venture capitalist and founder and CEO of Breyer Capital, which is headquartered in Austin.

Chao’s older sister is Elaine Chao, who served as transportation secretary under former President Donald Trump and labor secretary under former President George W. Bush. The elder Chao is married to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky).

Contributing: Marley Malenfant, Tony Plohetski, Julia Gomez; USA TODAY Network

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