The driver of a Tesla that fell 250 feet over California cliff has been charged with attempted murder and child abuse.
Two children and one woman were also inside the car at the time.
via People:
Dharmesh Arvind Patel, 40, was arrested on Monday at Stanford Hospital, per an arrest report by the California Highway Patrol that was shared with PEOPLE.
The report stated that Patel, who is from Pasadena, California, has been charged with attempted murder. A 41-year-old woman, along with a 7-year-old girl and a 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 Monday.
Once the CHP and other responding agencies got to the scene, they saw a white Tesla that had dove 250-300 feet over the cliff, the release said. Authorities managed to reach the vehicle and recover two adults and two children, who were rushed “to a local hospital with serious injuries.”
After investigating into Tuesday morning, speaking to witnesses and putting together evidence at the scene, the CHP said “investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act.”
The CHP added that at this stage they do not think the 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.
Patel is still at Stanford Hospital, however, he will be booked at San Mateo County Jail once he is discharged.
The investigation is ongoing.
It’s not known if Patel has a lawyer who can comment on his behalf.
Authorities in California say it’s an “absolute miracle” that all passengers survived.
In a video update shared on Monday, Brian Pottenger, a battalion chief for Coastside Fire Protection District/Cal Fire, said that damage to the vehicle suggested it “flipped several times” before landing on the beach on its wheels.
When they first arrived, Pottenger said that authorities did not know how many people were inside, but that they could see there was “movement in the front seat.”
“We knew we had at least one person that was alive,” he added. “We were actually very shocked.”
Speaking at the scene, Pottenger said that authorities “come out here unfortunately all too often for things like this.”
“They never live,” he said, per the AP. “This was an absolute miracle.”
The Devil’s Slide is located near Pacifica along the famous Highway 1 — which runs almost the entire length of California’s Pacific coastline — and has been the site of a number of fatalities over the past five decades.
Looking at the wreckage in that photo, that whole family is lucky to be alive. It’s a true miracle.
