Doctors on Indian Man Who Drove Tesla Off Cliff in US With Family: “Psychotic

An Indian-origin radiologist from Pasadena, California, drove his Tesla off a cliff at Devil’s Slide on Highway 1 near Half Moon Bay with his wife and children inside. The incident occurred in January last year, resulting in three counts of attempted murder charges against Dharmesh Patel.

Fortunately, Patel, his wife Neha, and their two children miraculously survived. During a hearing in Redwood City, two doctors testified that Patel, who was 43 at the time, was suffering from major depressive disorder and experiencing a psychotic break.

He was allegedly experiencing hallucinations, hearing footsteps, and had delusional beliefs about his children being sex trafficked. Patel is seeking a mental health diversion in his case, and if granted, he would be placed on a two-year treatment plan instead of serving jail time.

His charges would be dropped if he does not commit any crimes during this period. The defence doctors, Mark Patterson and James Armontrout, testified that Patel was motivated and amenable to treatment.

Patterson’s diagnosis came after conducting 18 tests and speaking with Patel’s doctor and siblings. However, prosecutors oppose the diversion, arguing that Patel is suffering from a different disorder called schizoaffective, not major depressive disorder with a psychotic feature.

They believe the defence’s proposed treatment plan may not be effective and want the case to remain in court. District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe expressed concern about monitoring Patel if he’s released into the proposed treatment plan, as there would be no oversight except in his meetings with doctors.

Patel’s attorney did not comment on the matter. The New York Post reported that if the judge grants the doctors’ request, a Stanford psychiatric clinician, James Armontrout, will oversee Patel’s treatment in the mental diversion program.

Despite the opposition from the prosecutors, the decision of whether Patel will be placed in the mental diversion program is yet to be made.