US: Indian-origin doctor who drove Tesla off cliff with family experiences ‘psychotic’ break

An Indian-origin radiologist who drove a Tesla car off a cliff in the US along with his wife and children was reportedly suffering from major depressive disorder and was mentally disturbed at the time of the incident, media reports said in a recent hearing. It has been said quoting two doctors who were testifying. ,

Dharmesh Patel, of Pasadena, California, was charged with three counts of attempted murder last January after he drove the family’s Tesla off a cliff at Devil’s Slide on Highway 1 near Half Moon Bay, according to prosecutors. Patel, his wife, Neha, and their children – a 7-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy at the time – miraculously survived.

Patel, 43, was having hallucinations, hearing footsteps and believing her children had been sex trafficked, two doctors testified during a hearing Wednesday in Redwood City. Wednesday’s hearing was a response to an earlier request by Patel, who is seeking mental health changes to his case, the New York Post newspaper reported.

If a judge grants the doctors’ request, Patel will be placed on a two-year treatment plan instead of a prison sentence. If Patel does not commit any crimes during the proposed treatment plan, the charges against him will be dropped. The Los Angeles Times newspaper quoted District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe as saying that at the time of the crash, doctors testified, Patel was experiencing a psychotic episode in which she believed her children may have been sex trafficked.

The doctors – Mark Patterson and James Armontrout – testified for the defense. If Patel is placed in a mental diversion program, Stanford psychiatrist James Armontrout will oversee treatment. Psychologist Mark Patterson testified at the hearing, “I view him as someone who is very motivated and amenable to treatment.” Patterson’s diagnosis of Patel came after conducting a series of 18 tests and talking to doctors and his siblings.

Prosecutors opposed turning over the case, arguing that the prosecuting doctor found Patel not to be suffering from major depressive disorder with any psychotic features, but from a separate disorder, known as schizoaffective, and The defense’s proposed treatment plan would not be effective. Prosecutors believe the case should remain in court.

Wagstaffe is concerned that if Patel is released, he will not be monitored except for his meetings with doctors. “If he stops taking his medicine, how will you know? It’s not the same as being on probation or parole. It’s a full-on meeting with a psychiatrist,” he said. Patel’s attorney Joshua Bentley did not respond to a request for comment, the report said.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)