Driver in California cliff crash that injured 4 charged

The Tesla sedan plummeted more than 250 feet from the highway and crashed into a rocky...
The Tesla sedan plummeted more than 250 feet from the highway and crashed into a rocky outcropping. It appears to have flipped a few times before landing on its wheels, wedged against the cliff just feet from the surf, according to Brian Pottenger, a battalion chief for Coastside Fire Protection District/Cal Fire.(Source: San Mateo County Sheriff's Office via Facebook)
Published: Jan. 30, 2023 at 4:11 PM CST|Updated: Jan. 30, 2023 at 9:26 PM CST
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REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) — The driver of a car that plunged off a treacherous cliff in northern California, seriously injuring himself, his wife and their two young children, was charged Monday with attempted murder.

Dharmesh A. Patel, 41, also faces enhancements for great bodily injury and domestic violence in the Jan. 2 crash, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said in a statement.

Patel was scheduled to be arraigned Monday. His attorney, Jose Bentley, did not immediately respond to a Monday email seeking comment.

The Pasadena man was seriously injured and taken to a hospital after the car went over the 250-foot (76-meter) cliff at Devil’s Slide, an area along the Pacific Coast Highway about 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of San Francisco that is known for deadly wrecks. He was recently moved to a jail.

Rescuers initially hailed the family’s survival as a miracle. Firefighters had to cut open the Tesla Model Y to extract the family, including Patel’s 41-year-old wife, 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son.

Patel was later arrested after California Highway Patrol investigators “developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act,” the agency said.