Tesla Driver Who Plunged Family off California Cliff Faces Attempted Murder Charge

The Tesla driver who drove his vehicle off a cliff in California is now charged and being transported to jail by law enforcement.

The man, Dharmesh Patel, 41, a doctor from Pasadena, who police say deliberately drove his Tesla over the cliff, nearly killed himself and three of his passengers.

All four occupants survived the 250-foot plunge off a cliff in San Mateo County, California.

Tesla driver's reckless driving

CBS News reported that the Tesla driver, according to court documents filed by San Mateo County Deputy District Attorney Dominique Davis, was charged with three counts of attempted murder.

He was also accused of domestic violence and intent to inflict serious bodily damage.

Patel was suspected of deliberately veering off Highway 1 to cause the deaths of three passengers in his vehicle: a passenger aged 41, a passenger aged seven, and a passenger aged four.

Although their names have not been made public, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) has revealed that the victims were Mrs. Patel, Patel's daughter, and Patel's son.

As per CNN, the accident first brought concerns over Tesla's self-driving mode and the possibility that a mechanical breakdown played a part in the incident.

There have been several high-profile accidents involving Tesla vehicles in self-driving mode, some of which have resulted in fatalities. It has also been known that Tesla's self-driving technology is still in its early stages and has experienced technical glitches and malfunctions, leading to accidents.

Some commentators online were speculating that the incident may not have been intentional or the driver may have used assisted driving in his vehicle.

However, upon thorough investigation, inspectors from the California Highway Patrol swiftly determined that this was not the problem, and they focused the investigation on Patel.

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Plunging family off California cliff

Following the automobile accident, all four people were treated for life-threatening injuries. The suspect stayed in the hospital until late last week before he was transferred to the prison in advance of formal charges filed against him.

According to NBC News, despite the intensity of the hit, his wife and children all managed to survive the terrifying fall and are now recovering in the hospital.

After the Tesla sedan careened down a renowned cliffside along the Pacific Coast Highway in Devil's Slide, known for deadly collisions, rescue workers first hailed the family's survival as a miracle. 

The firefighters needed to cut the family free from the wreckage. They employed a rope system to drag the children up the cliff in a rescue basket while the parents were lifted by helicopter. The parents were also rescued in the same location as the children.

The authorities have withheld from the public the possible motivations for the suspect's actions.

Nevertheless, the investigators formed probable cause to infer that this occurrence resulted from intentional conduct based on the evidence obtained.

As of press time, there remained a lack of information on whether Patel had retained a defense attorney or been given one by the court.

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