Dharmesh Patel

An Indian-origin doctor, accused of intentionally driving the Tesla car off the cliff in January 2023, was doing so during a ‘psychotic episode’, claim psychologists.

A radiologist, Dharmesh Patel, and his family were involved in a horrifying accident that took place near Half Moon Bay, California.

Fortunately, the family escaped this horrific accident with mere injuries, while Patel’s wife later revealed that he was suffering from depression and deliberately drove the car off the cliff.

Patel, a 42-year-old resident of Pasadena, Los Angeles, was driving with his wife and their two children, aged 7 and 4, when their car, a Tesla model, suddenly plummeted 250 feet into the Devil’s Slide abyss.

Initially, it was believed to be an accident caused by a tyre malfunction. However, after the charges levied by his wife, Patel faced three counts of family homicide and was remanded in custody.

The two psychologists, Dr Mark Patterson and Dr James Armontrout stated that Patel was suffering from ‘psychosis’, a mental illness, due to which he had a sudden mental breakdown and drove the car off the cliff.

Their report, presented in court, stated that Patel was under the delusion that someone was following him. He was constantly afraid that his children would be kidnapped for sex trafficking.

The psychologists submitted their testimony on Apr 24 in defence of Patel, asserting that “he was giving his all to save the family”.

Although the complainants opposed the evaluation of mental illness in the case and argued that according to their doctor, Patel did not suffer from ‘psychosis’, but was suffering from ‘Schizoaffective’ disorder (psychosis with mood swings), they claimed that his proposed treatment would not affect him.

If the court deems the mental treatment of Patel necessary, there is a possibility that he will be released from jail.

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