Wife of doctor who 'drove car off cliff' with family inside issues heartbreaking plea as he faces prison sentence
In January 2023, the world was horrified to learn news that a father-of-two had intentionally driven his car - with his wife and children inside - off the edge of a 250ft cliff amid a 'mental health crisis'.
American-Indian radiologist Dharmesh Patel directed the family vehicle off a Devil Slide cliff in California and onto the rocks below, having informed his panicking wife Neha of his stomach-wrenching intentions just moments prior.
In what was later described by investigating officers as a 'miracle', all four passengers survived the terrifying ordeal, after which Dharmesh was subsequently arrested and accused of attempted murder.
In a shock twist of fate, however, Neha has today broken her silence on the moment her husband almost stole her life and that of her kids, four and seven, claiming that she'll stand by his side during his controversial trial.
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Following his arrest, San Francisco-based licensed doctor Dharmesh pleaded with officers to drop the charges, insisting that he'd been in the midst of a mental breakdown.
While the father-of-two suffered 'serious lower body injuries', Neha and their then-7-year-old daughter also sustained severe injuries, and their then-4-year-old son received treatment for minor injuries.
In his ongoing court battle, the perpetrator now faces three counts of attempted murder after allegedly driving off the 250-foot cliff in an attempted murder-suicide, despite pleading not guilty on all counts.
Instead, Dharmesh claimed his Tesla had been enduring tyre issues prior to the moment the car plummeted off the cliff edge.
Officers later disputed this, informing the jury that the vehicle presented no indication of faults, in turn ruling out his excuse of a car malfunction.
Also contradicting Dharmesh's motoring claims are the statements that his wife Neha had gave to responding authorities as she was airlifted from the scene.
"He drove off. He’s depressed," she told them at the time. "He said he was going to drive off the cliff. He purposely drove off."
And now, as the trial continues to play in court, a heartbreaking Neha has insisted once again that she supports her husband, putting the incident down to a mental health episode.
"We need him in our lives and it has been over a year and a half since my children or I have seen or spoken to Dharmesh," she said.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the mother went on to reveal that her son had recently asked her, 'When's Daddy home?', before she told the jury: "We are not a family without him."
Neha continued: "Now that we understand and know he has a treatable condition, things will be different. I want members of the court to know the health and safety of my family is of paramount importance."
The medic's attorney Dr Mark Patterson also supported Dharmesh and Neha's claims, insisting that he'd exhibited 'paranoid and kind of delusional' in the days prior, and had falsely convinced himself that his children would be sex-trafficked.
"It was paranoid and kind of delusional thinking that he acted on at the time to protect his family from a worse fate," he explained.
"He was concerned that his children were at risk of being kidnapped, possibly for sexual molestation. There were concerns surrounding the explosion of fentanyl in this country and the war in Ukraine."
The Patel family are instead hoping for Dharmesh to qualify for a two-year mental health diversion programme instead of potentially facing life imprisonment.
Rhianna Benson