Why Indian-American Doctor Drove Car With Wife, 2 Children Off US Cliff

A year after he drove his wife and two children off a cliff in California into the Pacific Ocean, Indian-American radiologist Dharmesh Patel has avoided a jail term and will be treated for mental illness after his doctors told the court he suffered a "psychotic breakdown".

In January 2023, Mr Patel drove his Tesla, carrying his wife Neha and two children aged 7 and 4, off a cliff into a 250-foot gorge. The family escaped with minor injuries even though the car was severely damaged. His wife told rescuers he drove the car off the cliff intentionally and was mentally disturbed at the time.

Why did he drive his car off a cliff?

On Thursday, Mr Patel's lawyers told the court that his actions were solely influenced by his mental state as he was suffering from paranoia and delusion.

Doctors who assessed the radiologist said his mental health had deteriorated weeks before the horrific crash. He had been hearing footsteps and was convinced he was being followed by someone, the doctors told the court.

He also believed his children were at risk of being kidnapped and sexually assaulted or trafficked.

Mr Patel, who pleaded not guilty to three charges of attempted murder, has now been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and major depressive disorder. "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.

What happens next? 

A US judge decided that the radiologist was eligible for a 'mental health diversion', a provision in the law that allows an accused with mental illness to get mental health treatment instead of serving jail time if the illness played a huge role in the crime.

Superior Court Judge Susan M. Jakubowski determined that Mr Patel was eligible for the diversion based on his doctors' diagnosis and ordered he be released to his parents in California. He will be monitored with GPS and 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.

He will now be placed on a two-year treatment plan and charges against him would be dropped if he doesn't commit any crimes during the treatment.