The driver of the Tesla Model Y that fell off a cliff at Devil's Slide, seriously injuring himself, his wife and their two young children, was charged Monday with attempted murder.
Dharmesh A. Patel, 41, faces enhancements for great bodily injury and domestic violence in the Jan. 2 crash, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said in a statement.
The Pasadena resident was seriously injured and taken to a hospital after being rescued from the popular location where many deadly wrecks occur.
CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO OF THE DEVIL'S SLIDE COASTWAY
Patel was eventually placed under custody after California Highway Patrol investigators “developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act,” the agency said.
According to Mercury News, “Neha Patel indicated that her husband had [intentionally] driven off the cliff, injuring the whole family, including their 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son in the backseat.”
According to NBC Bay Area, [there's cameras in the area] so, we have video showing the movement of the car after it left the tunnel, went up the hill, turned off of the road and then turned to go down the cliff.”
The CHP’s team of accidents investigated the collision and said that Tesla’s self-driving features did “not appear to be a contributing factor” in the incident.
While the whole family survived the scary accident, the wife remains hospitalized for her severe injuries, the children are out of the hospital and reunited with their grandparents in Northern California.
Patel will remain in custody with no bail. He is scheduled to return to court to enter a plea on Feb. 9.