Indian-origin Radiologist who drove family off cliff will get mental health treatment
New York: An Indian-origin doctor who drove his tesla off a cliff last year with his wife and two children inside, will receive mental health treatment after doctors found he was suffering from schizoaffective disorder.
Patel, his wife, and his children all survived the crash after the California doctor had driven his Tesla off a cliff last year, believing that his children, seven and four years old, were in danger of being sex trafficked,' RT International reported.
Patel, 43, pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder. Last week, he was found eligible for a mental health diversion, according to court records.
Also Read:Indian-Origin Radiologist who drove family off cliff was Psychotic: Reports
According to a UNI report, the accused pleaded not guilty in September to three counts of attempted murder after plunging his Tesla 250 feet off a cliff with his family inside on January 2, 2023. All four survived after emergency workers rescued them from the rubble, a New York Times report said.
On Thursday, Patel was found eligible for a mental health diversion that allows a person charged with a crime to instead undergo treatment, according to records filed in Superior Court in San Mateo County, NYT said.
Under the provision, prosecution is postponed while the defendant undergoes mental health treatment, and may be dismissed entirely.
He will remain in jail for some more weeks and then will be released to his parents’ home in Belmont, Calif., where he will be monitored by GPS and required to report to court once a week, according to the release, news agency UNI reported.
He is not allowed to leave San Mateo County and must surrender his driver’s license and passport, the report said.
Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that an Indian-origin radiologist residing in Pasadena, California was facing psychotic episodes leading up to a harrowing incident where he drove his family's Tesla off a cliff near Half Moon Bay, according to recent media reports.
