CA - Tesla crash off cliff shocked rescuers, Dr. dad arrested for attempted murder of family, Devil’s Slide, Jan 2023

[arielilane]

Doctor accused of intentionally driving Tesla off cliff in Calif. with wife, kids​

The driver of a Tesla that plunged 250 feet off a notorious California cliff Monday has been arrested — after authorities say he intentionally drove over the edge with his wife and two children inside the car.

Dharmesh Patel, a 41-year-old physician from Pasadena, will be booked on attempted murder and child abuse charges once he is out of a hospital, the California Highway Patrol said in a statement.

“CHP investigators worked throughout the night interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence from the scene,” the highway patrol said in a statement.

“Based on the evidence collected, investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act.”

Doctor accused of intentionally driving Tesla off cliff in Calif. with wife, kids

The driver of a Tesla that plunged 250 feet off a notorious California cliff Monday has been arrested — after authorities say he intentionally drove over the edge with his wife and two childr…

nypost.com

 

[loveisthemovement]

So glad this is being talk about. It's unbelievable that all 4 survived.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

I hope they all survive with no permanent harm and if he's guilty, he isn't ever let out to try to harm them again. Poor wife and kids.

 

[Oakland CA]

Interesting that the original reports stated the three passengers were his wife and two children.
Now all reports state that their relationship to the driver is unknown at this time.

Either way. here's hoping for a full recovery of the three victims.

 

[Gardenista]

This is so crazy. I watched the rescue when they first started playing it and now we find out he did it on purpose. Geeze!

 

[Gardenista]

The photos remind me so much of the Hart case.

PICTURED: Doctor who intentionally drove family off cliff in Tesla

Dharmesh A. Patel is charged with attempted murder and child abuse. Police say he intentionally drove his family off a cliff in their Tesla on Monday. Miraculously, all four survived the 250ft drop.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[arielilane]

Driver of Tesla That Went 250 Feet Over Calif. Cliff Arrested for Attempted Murder and Child Abuse

A man behind the wheel of a Tesla that went over an infamous California cliff is being charged with child abuse and attempted murder

people.com

Father Who Drove Tesla Off Calif. Cliff Is a Radiologist; Passengers in Car Were Wife and 2 Kids

Dharmesh A. Patel, 40, was arrested after Monday's crash, which everyone in the vehicle miraculously survived

people.com

 

[athenna]

I wonder what the possible motivation could be, and how they first determined it was intentional, if it was the data or the witnesses. The map I saw showed that he made a U-turn and went back and drove off the cliff.

Those poor children. I can't imagine. I hope they will have access to serious therapy.

 

[Jcbjlt]

The photos remind me so much of the Hart case.

PICTURED: Doctor who intentionally drove family off cliff in Tesla

Dharmesh A. Patel is charged with attempted murder and child abuse. Police say he intentionally drove his family off a cliff in their Tesla on Monday. Miraculously, all four survived the 250ft drop.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Me too, that was a crazy sad case. So much loss that was preventable.

 

[Knox]

Rescuers were shocked to find that all four members of a family whose Tesla crashed off a 250-foot cliff in California had survived - branding it a “miracle”.

But the case took an even more astonishing turn soon after - with the father accused of deliberately causing the crash.

Dharmesh Patel, a doctor from Pasadena, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and child abuse after his electric vehicle plunged from the Pacific Coast Highway in Northern California in an area known as Devil’s Slide on Monday morning, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) said in a statement.

Mr Patel, his wife Neha, and their nine-year-old son and four-year-old daughter “miraculously” survived the crash and were pulled off a craggy outcrop in a daring air rescue mission before being flown to hospital with critical injuries.

He is due to be booked into San Mateo County Jail when he is released from hospital, according to the San Francisco CHP bureau.

What do we know about the crash?​

Investigators say they were called to reports that a vehicle had driven off cliffs just south of the Tom Lantos tunnels known as the Devil’s Slide at 10.15am on 2 January.

The Devil’s Slide is a steep, rocky and winding coastal route around 15 miles (24 kms) south of San Francisco.

Emergency teams from the California Fire San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit, the CHP, the US Coast Guard and the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash site, on a narrow outcrop of coastline at the bottom of a sheer cliff face.

“Based on the evidence collected, investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act,” the bureau said in a statement on 3 January.

A tragic family Tesla cliff crash shocked rescuers. Then the doctor dad was arrested

Authorities say Pasadena radiologist Dharmesh Patel intentionally drove his Tesla off a notorious stretch of California highway known as Devil’s Slide, critically injuring his wife and two young children. Bevan Hurley reports

www.independent.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=853399515715314

 

[Knox]

The cliff is colloquially known as the Devil's Slide, and has been the site of a number of fatalities over the years. It's located near Pacifica, about 15 miles South of San Francisco, along the famous coastal Highway 1. The route, which runs almost the entire length of California's Pacific coastline, attracts tourists from around the world.

After investigating through Tuesday morning, the CHP said "investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act." The CHP has not specified what led them to that conclusion.

The CHP added that they do not currently think the Telsa's self-drive feature was a factor in the crash. "There has been no determination as to what driving mode the Tesla was in; however, that does not appear to be a contributing factor in this incident," the CHP release said.

In a video update shared on Monday, Brian Pottenger, a battalion chief for Coastside Fire Protection District/Cal Fire, said that damage to the vehicle suggested it "flipped several times" before landing, on its wheels, upon the beach.

Father Who Drove Tesla Off Calif. Cliff Is a Radiologist; Passengers in Car Were Wife and 2 Kids

Dharmesh A. Patel, 40, was arrested after Monday's crash, which everyone in the vehicle miraculously survived

people.com

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

So glad u started this thread….thank u Knox. I’ve been reading about this in DM…..sure didn’t end the way Dr Patel expected It to. Good thing, am amazed that they all lived thru this.

 

[LadyL]

omg he's been arrested????

I was following this story earlier and had no idea it would turn out like this. I just assumed it was an accident.

 

[airportwoman]

I'm wondering what made them believe it was a deliberate act. We'll find out in time, I guess.

 

[Kaley Smith]

omg he's been arrested????

I was following this story earlier and had no idea it would turn out like this. I just assumed it was an accident.

I would think this one might be pretty hard to prove unless he has a history as a domestic abuser, had made threats before and/or the kids and wife are talking and indicating it was done on purpose.

 

[rabidstoat]

I would think this one might be pretty hard to prove unless he has a history as a domestic abuser, had made threats before and/or the kids and wife are talking and indicating it was done on purpose.

Everyone survived. I imagine the wife told them it was intentional.

 

[Midge Montana]

One of my nightmares; driving off a cliff. I can’t imagine it happening in real life, and my husband doing it intentionally.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

Radiologist gave neighbors plants before 'driving family off cliff'

Radiologist gave neighbors plants before 'driving family off cliff'

Footage from a neighbor's doorbell camera shows Dr. Dharmesh A. Patel, 42, walking over the street to deliver the red plants to his neighbors in Pasadena on Christmas Eve.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[technicallymissing]

Everyone survived. I imagine the wife told them it was intentional.

I wonder if he said anything to her before driving off the cliff or if it was just explicitly obvious and he didn't try to hide what he was doing, like yanked the wheel really dramatically or something. Maybe in the shock of still being alive and his plan going so "wrong" he confessed on the spot after questioning. I'm so happy for the wife and her children that they made it, but what an absolutely devastating and life-altering experience for her. Thank god she has both of her kids alive and well still. I hope that piece of scum calling himself her husband absolutely rots.

 

[arielilane]

Who Is Dharmesh Patel? Tesla Driver Arrested for Attempted Murder of Family​

Police have said 41-year-old Dharmesh Patel of Pasadena, California, attempted to kill his family on Monday by driving them off a 250-foot cliff at Devil's Slide in the County of San Mateo.

The entire family was rescued and no one suffered serious injuries, but all four were taken to the hospital, according to a NDTV report.

Driver Patel will face charges of attempted murder and child abuse after he leaves the hospital, following an investigation into the crash, according to a statement released by the California Highway Patrol.

Who Is Dharmesh Patel? Tesla Driver Arrested for Attempted Murder of Family