It's an "absolute miracle" that all four people have survived, authorities said.
A report published in 2021 by the California Department of Transportation stated that road accidents were more common in the area that included Devil’s Slide than elsewhere. This area is again in the news. This time a 40-year-old man, Dharmesh Arvind Patel, who was driving a Tesla, fell off a 250-foot cliff along with his family. All four have miraculously survived.
However, Patel, who is from Pasadena, California, has been charged with attempted murder and child abuse, as his two children and his wife were also inside the car at the time. He was arrested on 2nd January at Stanford Hospital, as per an arrest report by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) that was shared with PEOPLE.
A California man intentionally drove a Tesla off a 250-foot cliff in an attempt to kill his family, officials say. https://t.co/rG8dTlD4kc
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 5, 2023
The report also stated that the 41-year-old woman, along with the 7-year-old girl and the 4-year-old boy were injured in the incident. The CHP said in a news release on Tuesday that it was alerted of "a vehicle over the side of the cliff on SR-1" around 10:50 a.m. local time on the 2nd of January. After the CHP got to the scene, they saw a white Tesla that had fallen 250-300 feet over the cliff, the release stated. Authorities recovered two adults and two children, who were rushed "to a local hospital with serious injuries."
The man who drove a Tesla with his family inside off a 250-foot cliff near San Francisco did it on purpose, according to police, and is now charged with attempted murder and child abuse.@gabegutierrez has more details on the family’s dramatic rescue. pic.twitter.com/jqUa9SDKne
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) January 5, 2023
The adults suffered non-life-threatening injuries and the children were not harmed when the car traveling southbound on the Pacific Coast Highway on the 2nd of January went over the cliff at Devil’s Slide and landed near the shoreline below, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office. Helicopters assisted in rescuing the four people in the car. Two of them were taken to the hospital by ambulance, and two by helicopter, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.
On further investigating the matter, the CHP said, "investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act." They added that at this stage they do not think 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," it said.
This morning, a vehicle with 2 adults and 2 minors went over cliff at Devil's Slide in @sanmateoco. Witnesses saw the accident and called 911. The car plunged hundreds of feet down the cliff and landed on the beach. All four patients were successfully rescued. Watch the video! pic.twitter.com/HUM2SJ56Oy
— CAL FIRE CZU (@CALFIRECZU) January 3, 2023
Patel is still getting treated at the Stanford Hospital and he will be booked at San Mateo County Jail once he is discharged. Authorities in California have claimed, it's an "absolute miracle" that all four people have survived. In a video update shared on the fire department's Twitter page on Tuesday, Brian Pottenger, a battalion chief for Coastside Fire Protection District/Cal Fire, said that the damage on the Tesla indicated it "flipped several times" before landing on the beach on its wheels.
The driver of a Tesla that went off a cliff Monday at Devil’s Slide in San Mateo County has been arrested for attempted murder and child abuse after investigators said they believe the crash was intentional, according to the California Highway Patrol. https://t.co/NoLc4bh8ex pic.twitter.com/q5Ig5bQDUi
— NBC10 Boston (@NBC10Boston) January 4, 2023
When they first arrived, Pottenger said they were unaware of the extent of the incident. However, they could see there was "movement in the front seat," adding, "We knew we had at least one person that was alive." He continued, "We were actually very shocked." According to the Associated Press, Pottenger also said, "authorities "come out here unfortunately all too often for things like this ... They never live," adding "This was an absolute miracle." Chief Pottenger further said, “It is very unusual for anyone to survive an accident of this magnitude in this area."
References:
https://people.com/crime/tesla-driver-that-went-over-calif-cliff-charged-for-attempted-murder/
https://twitter.com/CALFIRECZU/status/1610075687981023233?s=20
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Tesla-plunges-off-cliff-at-Devil-s-Slide-17690271.php
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUzdRF_JSdo&ab_channel=AssociatedPress
Cover Image Source: Facebook / San Mateo County Sheriff's Office