MONTARA — The driver of a car that plunged off a treacherous cliff in San Mateo County, injuring his two young children and his wife after the 250-foot drop, remained hospitalized with serious injuries Wednesday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Dharmesh A. Patel of Pasadena will be booked into the San Mateo County jail on suspicion of attempted murder and child abuse after he's released from a hospital, the highway patrol said. He was in serious but stable condition and has not yet been cleared by doctors to leave.
Rescuers initially hailed the family's survival as a "miracle" after the Tesla sedan plummeted down a notorious cliff Monday along the Pacific Coast Highway near an area called Devil's Slide that's known for fatal wrecks.
Firefighters were forced to cut the family out of the wreckage. They used a rope system to haul the children up the cliff in a rescue basket while the parents were hoisted by helicopter.
Patel's family — including his 41-year-old wife, 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son, whose names have not been released — also remained hospitalized Wednesday. CHP Officer Mark Andrews would not comment on their conditions or detail Patel's wounds.
It wasn't immediately known if Patel, 41, has an attorney. Pasadena police did not immediately say whether officers have previously been called to the family's home or had contact with him.
The case brought back memories of a 2018 tragedy when a woman intentionally drove off another Northern California cliff in an SUV with her wife and their six adopted children. All were killed. The crash in Mendocino County happened just days after authorities in Washington state opened an investigation following allegations that Jennifer Hart's children were being neglected.
Investigators have not yet determined Patel's motive and Andrews would not say whether detectives have been able to interview him.
"I have no idea what his thought pattern was," he said.
Andrews said investigators likely would not present the case to prosecutors until after Patel is booked into the jail.
Patel is a doctor in radiology at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills area of Los Angeles.
"Providence Holy Cross Medical Center is deeply saddened to learn of a traffic incident involving one of our physicians and his family," said the statement, which was reported by KABC-TV. "We are extremely grateful there were no serious injuries. We will not respond further, as this incident is under investigation."
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.