The doctor accused of driving his family off a cliff in California has blamed the malfunctioning Tesla, but it was a deliberate act to maintain his witnesses and his wife.
On January 2nd, while driving on the Pacific Coast Highway, Dharmesh Patel was alerted by the electric car’s sensor that he had low tire pressure. He mentioned that he, along with his two children and wife, were driving when the sensor on his Tesla Model Y indicated low tire pressure.
Patel mentioned that he was trying to come to a stop in order to examine the tires when the vehicle plunged off the edge, offering a glimpse of the ocean.
According to court records acquired by the San Francisco Chronicle, Neha, the spouse of Patel, contradicted those allegations when speaking to the individuals who came to their aid, stating: “He intentionally steered the vehicle off the road. He expressed his intention to drive off the edge of the cliff. He is a medical professional. He is experiencing feelings of sadness.”
Neha Patel informed an emergency worker, California Highway Patrol Officer Aaron Sapien documented, during his rescue from the vehicle in a three-page probable cause statement, that the driver, her spouse Dharmesh Patel, intentionally committed the act.
“She then informed him that her spouse requires a psychological assessment.”
Patel, a radiologist at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Los Angeles, was also injured in the crash. He experienced “significant injuries to his lower body” and was hospitalized under supervision for several weeks until he was well enough to be arrested on Jan. 20.
His spouse and their female child were also severely wounded, while their male child sustained minor injuries.
Patel informed investigators that he and his family were en route to Montara, a coastal town where his sibling resided.
He stated that he visited three gas stations as the Tesla’s dashboard sensors consistently indicated low tire pressure.
He mentioned that while driving along Pacific Coast Highway, the vehicle “started to feel distinct.”.
“Patel then relocated the Tesla to a ‘gravel trail’ to inspect the tire air pressure,” Sapien stated in the sworn statement.
“Patel mentioned that it was a brief distance before they tumbled off the precipice.”
Prior to heading back to Pasadena, Patel additionally mentioned that his spouse had been “annoyed” shortly before the accident because she didn’t wish to visit his brother’s residence.
At the moment of the collision, he was not taking any medication or affected by substances or alcoholic beverages. He additionally informed the authorities.
Sapien expressed, “During the difficult times, with the world in a state of distress, he felt extremely down and not just a little depressed. He was truly overwhelmed by his feelings of depression.”
He stated that he was more concerned about the world and usually did not have a plan. He mentioned that he wouldn’t know what to do if he felt suicidal.
Patel did not plead guilty to three counts of attempted murder and two enhancements related to the grave injuries suffered by his 7-year-old daughter and wife in a Redwood City courtroom.
A malfunction does not indicate a police report and the cliff plummeted before slowing down signs show didn’t Tesla the said Witnesses.
“The tread impressions are in line with a car executing a gradual right turn,” Sapien penned.
“The tracks persisted up the sloping dirt/sand pathway and terminate at the peak of the embankment.”
The officer mentioned that there were no indications of any forced entry.
Police also acquired surveillance footage that supported the witnesses’ testimony.
In January, San Mateo District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe stated that the Tesla was not operating in autonomous mode when it crashed into the rocky bluff by the beachside.