The 4-year-old son of a California doctor accused of throwing his family off a cliff on Jan. 2 not only survived the 250-foot fall; he did not suffer any injuries, according to San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
Dharmesh Patel, 41, of Pasadena, was charged Monday with three counts of attempted first degree murder after allegedly driving himself, his wife, and their two children, a 4-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl, down Devil’s Slide near California Highway 1 in his Tesla.
“Everybody’s been talking about…how just a Tesla can fall 250 feet and they all survive. Well, for the 4-year-old [boy] that he was in a child seat, with no injuries,” Wagstaffe told Fox News Digital. “…Every parent needs to keep that in mind.”
The 7-year-old girl, who was also in a child seat, sustained “significant” injuries but was released from hospital “quite quickly” and will have no “long-term” physical complications, the prosecutor’s office said.
CALIFORNIA DOCTOR WHO DROVE TESLA OFF THE CLIFF WITH WIFE, 2 CHILDREN IN JAIL WITHOUT BAIL: REPORT
Dr. Dharmesh A. Patel will face charges of attempted murder and child endangerment after he allegedly intentionally threw his wife and children off a cliff.
(Facebook)
“It’s shocking,” Wagstaffe said. “…I’ve seen all the photos and videos of the car in the background, and… knowing that area, knowing that cliff, I think those four people, every day for the rest of their lives, wake up in the tomorrow, they should say thank you.”
Meanwhile, Patel’s wife, Neha Patel, is the only victim still in the hospital recovering, but Wagstaffe hopes he can tell authorities more about what happened that day and in the days leading up to the alleged assassination attempt and Patel’s suicide. once she is able.
CALIFORNIA MAN INTENTIONALLY DROVE TESLA OFF THE CLIFF WITH ANOTHER ADULT, 2 CHILDREN IN CAR: AUTHORITIES
Immediately after the crash, Neha Patel apparently told first responders, “He tried to kill us” and “He intentionally rolled off the side,” according to Wagstaffe.
Dr. Dharmesh A. Patel is charged with intentionally throwing his wife and two children off a cliff. All four miraculously survived but remain hospitalized.
(Facebook)
“What we don’t have is a more detailed description of that because he was immediately told, ‘Calm down. We need to provide you with medical attention,’ because he probably suffered the most serious injuries, ”explained the prosecutor.
DRAMATIC VIDEO SHOWS CALIFORNIA HELICOPTER RESCUE AFTER TESLA STRIKES FROM ‘DEVIL’S SLIDE’ CLIFF
Aside from that initial comment to paramedics, Wagstaffe said eyewitnesses and video footage from the Tom Lantos Tunnel, which Patel drove through before the crash, appears to show Patel’s Tesla driving straight off the cliff without braking or trying to pull over. except.
This undated photo provided by the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office shows Dharmesh Patel. Patel, the driver of a car that plunged off a treacherous cliff in Northern California seriously injuring himself, his wife and his two young children, has been charged with attempted murder.
(San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
“Without going into too much detail … there was no swaying from side to side, there did not appear to be any mechanical issues with the vehicle, no taillights, no braking … no skidding,” Wagstaffe said of what he said. witnesses described.
Patel will plead guilty on February 9 and is currently being held without bail.
California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer Mark Andrew said Jan. 3 that he did not believe the Tesla was on autopilot at the time of the crash on Devil’s Slide cliff, south of the Tom Lantos Tunnels on State Highway 1.
Dr. Dharmesh A. Patel is charged with intentionally throwing his wife and two children off a cliff. All four miraculously survived but remain hospitalized.
(Facebook)
First responders who arrived at the scene on January 2 noticed the white Tesla about 250 feet down the cliff and noted that the victims were still moving around inside the vehicle.
Rescuers were able to get the two children out of the vehicle using a “jaws of life” tool and removed Patel and his wife from the vehicle’s windows.
This image from video provided by the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office shows a Tesla vehicle plunged off a cliff in Northern California along the Pacific Coast Highway Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, near a area known as Devil’s Slide.
((San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office via AP))
“We go there all the time to get cars off the cliff, and they never survive. This was an absolute miracle,” Brian Pottenger, Coastside/Cal Fire Protection District battalion chief, said after the accident.
CALIFORNIA DOCTOR WHO DROVE TESLA OFF THE CLIFF WITH WIFE, 2 CHILDREN IN JAIL WITHOUT BAIL: REPORT
Investigators will now examine the Tesla to determine if there were any mechanical issues with the vehicle prior to the crash, which could strengthen the defense’s argument in court.
The driver of the car that plunged 250 feet off a cliff in Northern California, injuring his two young children and his wife, has been released from the hospital and jailed on suspicion of attempted murder and child abuse.
(Sergeant Brian Moore/San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office)
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California officials believe Patel’s actions were “intentional.”
Authorities are asking for additional witnesses to call the CHP-San Francisco area at 415-557-1094.
Elizabeth Pritchett of Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
