A California radiologist accused of deliberately driving his Tesla off a seaside cliff with his wife and two young children inside has avoided jail after a judge dismissed all charges against him. Dharmesh Arvind Patel, 43, of Pasadena, had faced three counts of attempted murder over the crash at the notorious Devil's Slide section of Highway 1 in San Mateo County on 2 January 2023. The case matters because it highlights how California's mental health diversion programme can allow defendants to sidestep prosecution by completing court-approved treatment rather than standing trial.

Patel, his wife Neha, their seven-year-old daughter and four-year-old son survived a 250-foot plunge and were rescued by firefighters, paramedics and a Coast Guard helicopter, though Patel, his wife and one child were seriously injured. In 2024 a judge deemed him eligible for mental health diversion, and Judge Sharon Cho dismissed the charges on Monday after he completed two years of court-ordered treatment involving medication, therapy, regular health evaluations and GPS monitoring. The family had reportedly been in the Bay Area to visit relatives over the holidays at the time of the crash.