“They’re now building cars with laminated side windows. So even if you had a window breaker, it won’t work, because your side window is just like your windshield now. And you can crack it, but you can’t smash it,” Gordon Giesbrecht tells Inside Edition.
The sister-in-law of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, billionaire businesswoman Angela Chao, lost her life after backing her Tesla into a pond. Her death has put a spotlight on the challenges of breaking windows in some electric cars.
Chao was attempting to make a three-point turn at her ranch outside Austin, Texas, when she reportedly put her Tesla in reverse instead of drive, sending the vehicle into a pond on her property. Police say Chao called friends for help, and one jumped into the pond in an attempt to save her but was unable to break the Tesla’s windows.
McConnell referenced the tragic accident in his resignation announcement last week.
Angela’s sister, Elaine Chao, was the secretary of transportation during the Trump administration.
Gordon Giesbrecht, an expert on car submersions, spoke with Inside Edition.
In a demonstration, Giesbrecht deliberately drove a car into a lake to show how to leave your sinking vehicle.
He says going to the back seat is a big mistake.
“You need to get out of the vehicle as quick as possible. You’ve got about one minute to finish everything. We advise ‘SWOC:’ seatbelt off, windows open, out immediately, children first,” Giesbrecht says.
The expert suggests to avoid calling 911 because you will lose critical time to escape.
“If you grab your cellphone, basically you’re gonna die,” Giesbrecht says. “Your car is basically a boat with a big leak. And, the windows will stay above the water for 30, 40, 60 seconds. Your electric windows will certainly work for 30 to 60 seconds.”
Another expert, Robert Sinclair of AAA, says Chao probably could not have broken the windows of her Tesla and gotten out with the use of a hammer or glass breaker due to the laminated glass the manufacturer uses.
“The lamination is designed to keep shards from flying all over the place, to keep the glass as whole as possible. So you go to hit this, it’s not going to break,” Sinclair says.
Giesbrecht agrees.
“They’re now building cars with laminated side windows. So even if you had a window breaker, it won’t work, because your side window is just like your windshield now. And you can crack it, but you can’t smash it,” Giesbrecht says.
Tesla did not respond to Inside Edition’s requests for comment.
