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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Wow, he referenced her death in his retirement statement, but I just assumed it was age related because... well... look at them.
Always remember, if your car goes in the water, you CAN'T open your door until the pressure equalizes. You have pounds of water pushing against the door, keeping it closed.
Mythbusters went over this... Undo your seat belt and let the water IN. When there's enough water inside, open the door.
Shortly after Mythbusters did that bit. They were directly credited with saving a trucker's life. He crashed into a lake. His window didn't work but he had a manual roof vent, which he was able to open to equalize the pressure. He said he would have never done that if he hadn't seen the episode because of how scary it was to watch the water pour into his cab.
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Adam Savage has said that that was the most terrifying myth they've tested, and I'm pretty sure even with all of their divers and support crew he thought he was going to die.
I think part of it was the fact that they used an old smoker's car. I remember him talking about the nicotine burning his eyes and all the smoke and nicotine clouded up the water making seeing anything even more difficult.
This is a Tesla right? Those door handles are electric, so you need to hope the cars electrics hold and not short. Or you can find the emergency release in the door pocket.
you can find the emergency release in the door pocket.
Not without some training first. They are inexplicably hidden. I imagine Elon laughing aloud when he reads of people drowning in Teslas, frantically trying to figure out how to escape.
I've heard they have some manual door latch backups? do you know if they'd be affected as well?
If the backups aren't the door handles themselves, where are they located, and how many owners and passengers know about them?
They're mechanical and hidden behind a panel
Perfect for the emergency situation where you would need them!
Luckily there's reinforced windows that can't easily be broken either. I wonder if the EU models are the same because I have a hard time believing that this isn't breaking several safety regulations. This whole thing is such an ironic and frankly idiotic freak accident.
Ah I was confusing the front and rear doors. From this video it looks like it's in the door arm rests, while the rear door is burred in the rear door pocket under a flap. Both appear to operate the latch manually so no electricity required.
There's no way kids will be able to get out of the car if their parent is unconscious in the front seat...
Stop saying it out loud. Elon can only get so hard.
They're completely manual. There's a manual door latch literally right below the button you'd press inside to open it.
Pull that up & the door unlatches to open.
They're literally designed in for emergencies.
It's the same in the model 3, Y, & S.
I just watched the video above. I'd say it's a criminally bad design, because the emergency open is completely hidden from the casual observer and completely blending in with the other colors and shapes of the armrest. This makes it useless in an emergency.
There is a reason why Fire extinguishers, seatbelt release buttons, emergency exit signs, emergency brakes in trains etc. are all designed in bright, red stand-out colors with big letters on them.
Helicopter Egress Training they actually have you keep your seat belt(s) on until the cabin is filled with water, pressure equalized, AND door/window opened. The reason is, to push a door or window open you need a solid "foundation" and if you're unstrapped floating in water you may only push your body away.
A road vehicle has a smaller cabin and more hand/foot holds, but I thought it worth mentioning.I think the reason they mention it is, in a car full of water, it would be an easy thing to forget, then if you get the door open, you panic because you still can't get out.
Top gear also did this and their results were pretty much just get out of the car as soon as you know you're going in the water.
Yes. There are three phases to going into the water. Getting out before pressure builds, waiting for pressure equalization or creating it, and getting out after pressure equalizes.
There's a lot of situations where you will not have time to get the door open, like busting a turn rail and flying into the water. Obviously if you're going in slowly and can't stop it, (Like a slick boat ramp pulling a truck in.), just get out early.
Better yet, smash the front wind shield (after seatbelt is off or cut) to get out sooner
The windshield won't break like that. Only the passenger windows would break and come apart
And sometimes (Tesla) not even the passenger windows.
Smash anything but a windshield. I've needed to violently remove a windshield when replacing it (time was running out and tool shops were closed). Wearing protective glasses and pushing with both legs is what it took to somewhat loosen it, but not immediately remove it. Windshields are a multilayer structure of plastic and glass. Side windows are just glass.