Angela Chao drowned last month in one of the ponds on her own estate. — © ap/rr
Angela Chao, the American billionaire who died last month after an incorrect maneuver with her Tesla ended up in a pond, had been drinking too much at the time of the accident. This is evident from the police report.
50-year-old Angela Chao had invited some friends to her estate in Austin (Texas) on Saturday, February 10, to celebrate Chinese New Year together. Shortly before midnight their dinner was over, after which Chao first accompanied her friends to their guesthouse and then drove her Tesla Model X to the main house on her estate.
However, along the way she performed a wrong maneuver: instead of putting her car in forward gear, she put it in reverse, after which she shot backwards and ended up with her car in a pond. She was able to call a friend and the emergency services were immediately notified, but all help came too late: Chao drowned.
New police data now shows that the woman had looked too deeply into the glass and she had more than 2.3 per mille of alcohol in her blood, or almost three times the legal limit of 0.8 per mille in Texas.
13 billion
Chao was a household name in the United States. The 50-year-old woman was at the helm of shipping company Foremost Group, was involved in philanthropy and was married to investor Jim Breyer, also a billionaire, with whom she had a three-year-old son. Their family fortune was estimated by Forbes at around 13 billion euros. Angela was also the sister of Elaine Chao, former Secretary of Transportation under President Donald Trump and wife of well-known Republican politician Mitch McConnell.
Angela Chao with her husband Jim Breyer. — © Getty Images
Angela’s sister Elaine with her husband Mitch McConnell. — © AP