Chao, who was the CEO of shipping company Foremost Group, died last month after her car entered a body of water on a private ranch in Texas.
Disturbing details have since emerged detailing the frenzied rescue mission to save the 50-year-old.
In a report by the Wall Street Journal, the outlet detail how Chao had drove her Tesla home from an evening with friends when she accidentally put the car in reverse.
Due to the type of glass used in the vehicle, attempts to smash into the vehicle proved redundant.
According to testing done by the American Automobile Association, the type of glass used on the vehicle is nearly impossible to break underwater.
Chao had been making a three-point turn before the deadly accident and put the car in reverse instead of drive, sending it down an embankment and into a pond.
As the car dipped below the water line, Chao called a friend in a panic to explain her situation and over the next several hours rescuers tried in vain to rescue her.
Shortly after making her call, one friend jumped into the pond to attempt to rescue her before responders arrived on the scene.
As the car dipped below the water line, Chao called a friend in a panic to explain her situation and over the next several hours rescuers tried in vain to rescue her.
In an incident report obtained by the WSJ, one fire department crew arrived on the scene 24 minutes after getting a call.
One responder described the vehicle as being completely submerged, with some deputies from a sheriff’s department even able to stand on it as they attempted to rescue Chao.
Lighting had to be set up, and dive teams had to be brought in to aid the rescue mission as well as a tow truck.
Despite arriving on the scene, the truck didn’t have a cable long enough to reach the car and the driver was also said to have been afraid of being electrocuted.
After the vehicle was eventually pulled from the water, hundreds of gallons rushed out as the doors were opened, with Chao being found unresponsive.
Hellbound and Down 