Highway 1 Cliff-Plunge Case Dismissed

San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Sharon Cho dismissed attempted murder charges on July 6 against Dharmesh Patel, the Pasadena radiologist accused of driving his family’s Tesla off a cliff at Devil’s Slide in 2023. The dismissal ended a criminal case that had drawn national attention after Patel’s wife and two young children survived the plunge near Pacifica. San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said the judge acted after Patel completed a two-year mental health diversion program. California law required dismissal once the court found he had successfully finished that treatment, Wagstaffe said. ### Which case was dismissed on July 6? Dharmesh Patel, 45, had faced three counts of attempted murder after prosecutors said he intentionally drove a Tesla Model Y off the Devil’s Slide cliff on Jan. 2, 2023. The crash happened along Highway 1 south of Pacifica, where the vehicle fell about 250 feet with Patel, his wife and their two children inside. All four survived. (yahoo.com) San Mateo County prosecutors built the case in part on statements from Patel’s wife, who told authorities after the crash that he had driven off the cliff intentionally, according to prior reporting summarized in later accounts of the dismissal. Patel pleaded not guilty, and the case shifted from a trial track to litigation over whether he qualified for diversion based on his mental health. (abcnews.com) ### Why did the judge dismiss the charges instead of holding a trial? Judge Sharon Cho dismissed the charges after Patel completed the treatment plan ordered under California’s mental health diversion statute, according to Wagstaffe and multiple reports on the hearing. Wagstaffe said the court was required to dismiss the case once Patel finished the program successfully. (yahoo.com) July 2024 was the turning point in the case, when a San Mateo County judge approved Patel for a two-year diversion program rather than sending the case to trial. The treatment plan required outpatient care with a Stanford University psychiatrist and a family therapist, according to reports citing the district attorney and court proceedings. ### What did prosecutors and the defense say about Patel’s mental state? (abcnews.com) Defense psychologists said Patel was suffering from a major depressive disorder with psychotic features at the time of the crash, according to hearing coverage published before and after the dismissal. Prosecutors opposed diversion and argued the case was too serious for that outcome. (hoodline.com) Steve Wagstaffe said after the dismissal that Patel “got the break of a lifetime,” according to television and newspaper reports published after the hearing. Wagstaffe also said Patel could leave court without further criminal restrictions because the diversion had been completed and the charges were gone. (mercurynews.com) ### Where did the crash happen, and why did it draw so much attention? Devil’s Slide is a steep coastal stretch of Highway 1 in San Mateo County south of Pacifica that has been the site of multiple rescues, crashes and fatal falls. The Patel case drew unusual attention because rescuers pulled two adults and two children alive from a vehicle that had gone over the cliff, an outcome one official later described as “an absolute miracle.” (boston25news.com) Pacifica Patch and other local outlets tied the dismissal to wider public attention on safety and enforcement along the Highway 1 corridor near Devil’s Slide. Those reports did not indicate any immediate change in highway policy or enforcement following the ruling. ### What happens next now that the criminal case is over? July 6 was the final court step in the criminal prosecution described by county officials and news reports this week. (abcnews.com) With the attempted murder counts dismissed, Patel no longer faces a trial in San Mateo County Superior Court on those charges. San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said the dismissal followed Patel’s completion of the court-ordered diversion program, and the available reports this week listed no new criminal hearing date. (msn.com) Court activity from here, if any, would be limited to recordkeeping tied to the closed case rather than a jury trial on the dismissed charges. (abcnews.com) (yahoo.com)