Why India-origin doctor, who intentionally drove Tesla with wife, kids off cliff in US, won't be jailed

Dharmesh Patel, a 42-year-old Indian-origin doctor, who intentionally drove his Tesla car off a 330-foot cliff at Devil’s Side in San Mateo country in the US last year with his wife and two children inside, will neither face trial, nor serve any jail term for now.

Patel, who is a radiologist in California, has been granted a mental health diversion after evidence of him having a major depressive disorder. He will now be reunited with his family – wife Neha and two kids.

Why does Indian-origin US doctor won’t face trial?

Patel was lodged in a jail after being charged with three counts of attempted murder.

A psychologist told a US court that Patel was suffering from schizoaffective disorder and major depressive disorder weeks before the crash.

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The court then decided that Patel was eligible for a ‘mental health diversion’, that permits an accused with mental illness, who has committed a crime, to get mental health treatment instead of serving jail time.

As per the law, such a provision is only considered if the illness played a huge role in the crime.

Meanwhile, the district attorney’s office “intensely” opposed mental health diversion for Patel and asked the court to bring him to trial for the three counts of attempted murder, District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe was quoted as saying by NBC News.

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“But under California’s diversion law, the court makes the decision,” Wagstaffe said.

Superior Court Judge Susan Jakubowski deemed Patel eligible for the program based on the doctors’ diagnosis and ordered he be released to his parents in California.

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He will be under house arrest for a couple of months and will be monitored by an ankle bracelet with GPS in it. Patel will have to attend court sessions once a week and he has been banned from travelling outside his country.

Patel has been banned from driving, possessing weapons, drinking alcohol, and taking drugs.

Patel will return to court on July 1 for the next hearing where details of his release will be determined.

Why did the Indian-origin doctor drive Tesla off the cliff?

On January 2, 2023, Patel drove his car, carrying his wife and two children aged 7 and 4, off a cliff after suffering from a psychotic breakdown, the court was told by psychologists.

The family miraculously survived the crash and was rescued from the mangled car.

According to a report by Daily Mail, Patel’s family in hospital allegedly told doctors that “he tried to kill” them, but later his wife pleaded before authorities to let her husband come home.

Patel’s wife also admitted that he drove the car off the cliff intentionally, but later testified that she did not want her husband prosecuted.    

The court was told that Patel had initially claimed the crash was due to a flat tyre but later discussed his mental health issues with defence doctors.

Prosecutors then presented their own expert, who diagnosed Patel with a more severe schizoaffective disorder, treatable with medication.

Patel’s doctors also said he was suffering from schizoaffective disorder and major depressive disorder weeks before the crash.

“He had been hearing footsteps and thought he was being followed in the weeks before the crash. It was paranoid and kind of delusional thinking that he acted on at the time to protect his family from a worse fate,” the doctors told the court.

As per the psychologist, Patel was “concerned that his children were at risk of being kidnapped, possibly for sexual molestation."

With inputs from agencies