An Indian-American doctor who drove his Tesla off a cliff in the United States with his wife and two children inside – in an alleged attempt to kill them – will not be serving any jail time for now and will receive mental health treatment.
Mr Dharmesh Patel, a radiologist in California, drove his car, with his wife Neha and two children, aged seven and four, off a cliff at Devil’s Slide in San Mateo County early last year after a psychotic breakdown, psychologists told the court.
Mr Patel believed his children were at risk of being sex trafficked, which led him to crash the car, they said.
After driving off the cliff, the Tesla fell more than 75 metres. However, the family miraculously survived the crash and was rescued from the mangled car.
Ms Neha admitted that her husband drove the car off the cliff intentionally but testified later that she did not want him prosecuted.
According to doctors, Mr Patel was suffering from schizoaffective disorder and a major depressive disorder.
“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,” a psychologist told the court, adding that “he was concerned that his children were at risk of being kidnapped, possibly for sexual molestation.”
On Wednesday, a California court decided that Mr Patel was eligible for a “mental health diversion”, which allows an accused with mental illness who has committed a crime to get mental health treatment instead of serving time.
The law states that such a provision can only be considered if the illness played a huge role in the crime.
Superior Court Judge Susan M. Jakubowski deemed Mr Patel eligible for the programme based on the doctors’ diagnosis and ordered his release to his parents in California.
He will be monitored with GPS and has to report to the court once a week. He is also not allowed to travel outside his country and must surrender his driving license and passport.
The court has also ordered that Mr Patel report to court once a week for progress reports, test twice a week “to show medication compliance,” and abstain from alcohol and drugs.
Mr Patel will return to court on July 1, when details of his release will be determined.
