A tragedy behind the wheel of a Tesla. American businesswoman Angela Chao, who died on February 11 after Chinese New Year’s Eve, was behind the wheel of her vehicle that sank into a pond on her property in Texas. This was revealed this week by the Wall Street Journal, which had access to the report of the firefighters who intervened at the scene.
What is worrying are the conditions of the drowning of the head of the Foremost Group shipping company and sister-in-law of Republican Senator Mitch McConnell. The businesswoman was behind the wheel of a Tesla Model X, an SUV that features tempered glass windows that are known to be nearly unbreakable.
However, perhaps it was this solidity that precipitated Angela Chao’s demise. After a bad maneuver behind the wheel of her vehicle, the 50-year-old woman found herself trapped in her Tesla as it sank into the pond at her ranch. She tried in vain to escape and even called a friend on the phone for help.
Impossible to break
The incident report indicates that a rescue team arrived at the scene 24 minutes after receiving a call, leaving the vehicle completely submerged. Unconscious, Angela Chao could not be revived.
Could the Tesla vehicle be involved in this terrible accident? Due to the type of glass used in the Model X’s windows and sunroof, it was impossible to break them in an attempt to escape the SUV. According to tests conducted by the American Automobile Association, this type of glass used is almost impossible to break underwater. The solidity of the glass combined with the external pressure exerted by the liquid transformed the vehicle into a prison.
The brand, mocked a few years ago after a failed demonstration that was supposed to illustrate the strength of its crystals, has yet to be questioned.
This type of tragic accident occurs with vehicles equipped with different lenses. Without a glass-breaking hammer or a blunt object, any car window submerged underwater is virtually unbreakable. Lifeguards advise getting out of the vehicle in the first moments of immersion, before the door is completely below the waterline. And if there is no object in the vehicle that could break the window, they advise removing a headrest and hitting the windows with the protruding metal rods.
Source: BFM TV
