The stunning images were shared regularly on social media for two days. Netizens wondered how the occupants of this vehicle could have survived a fall from about 75 meters. The news takes another turn this Wednesday. The driver is suspected of intentionally dumping his car with his family on board in northern California. He was arrested, police said.
Dharmesh Arvind Patel, 41, was driving his vehicle with his wife and two children near San Francisco on Monday on a section of the famous “Highway 1” that borders the ocean when his car went off the road and hit the cliff fell down. Despite a spectacular fall that severely damaged the vehicle, a Tesla, the four family members survived and were evacuated to the hospital by helicopter, forced to intervene by rappelling rescuers.
Children suffer ‘moderate injuries’
Dharmesh Arvind Patel was later arrested at Stanford Hospital, the California Highway Patrol says. The driver, who works as a doctor at a Los Angeles-area hospital, must be remanded in custody once doctors confirm his release from the facility. According to the initial findings, “investigators have probable reasons to believe that this incident was a premeditated act,” the Autobahn Police said in a press release. This section of Highway 1 is notorious for many accidents and it is extremely rare for victims to survive, authorities said.
Rescue workers who were at the scene Monday initially expected to find bodies there, but noticed movement through the car’s broken windshield and launched a rescue operation involving several helicopters. “We were truly stunned to find surviving victims inside the vehicle,” said Brian Pottenger, commander of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The family’s two children, a 7-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy, sustained “moderate injuries,” he added. The investigation has yet to determine whether the Tesla was on autopilot mode when it went off the road, but “it does not appear to be a significant factor in this incident,” the police statement said.