Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction and that seems to be the case regarding the Tesla that fell off of the Devil’s Slide in California yesterday. After an investigation, Police have arrested the man behind the wheel for attempted murder and child abuse. Evidence suggests that he intentionally drove the car off of the dangerous cliff.
Around 11 a.m. on Monday, California Highway Patrol was alerted to the accident just south of the Tom Lantos Tunnels. This is the area known as the Devil’s Slide where numerous fatal accidents have taken place over the years.
When emergency personnel arrived on the scene they noticed movement in the car which had fallen somewhere between 250-300 feet from the road above. Ultimately, rescuers retrieved all four occupants, a man, his wife, and their two children from the vehicle. All survived with at most non-life-threatening injuries.
Read: All Four Tesla Occupants Survive After EV Plunges 250 Feet Off Devil Slide’s Cliff
Now, the man, Dharmesh A. Patel, 41, of Pasadena, CA, has been arrested by authorities. According to the CHPs Facebook page, investigators “worked throughout the night interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence from the scene.” And “based on the evidence collected, investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act.”
Those findings led Mr. Patel to his arrest for attempted murder and child abuse. He’s still being treated for his injuries but will be booked into San Mateo County Jail upon his release from the hospital. The investigation remains active though and those with more information can contact the CHP at (415)-557-1094.
One interesting tidbit that the CHP also announced was that autonomous driving features like Tesla’s Autopilot or Full Self-Driving technology did not seem to play any role in the crash.
While we can’t speculate on how the family would have fared in any other vehicle, it’s worth mentioning that the Tesla Model Y itself has always scored highly in independent crash testing. It’s great to see that it performed incredibly well in this tragic but ultimately survivable incident.