California dad who drove family off cliff will get mental health treatment instead of trial

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) — A California radiologist accused of trying to kill his wife and two children when he drove his Tesla off a cliff along the Northern California coast will receive mental health treatment instead of standing trial. A San Mateo County judge has ruled Dharmesh Patel will have to complete a two-year mental health outpatient treatment program at a Bay Area hospital for the charges to be dropped. Prosecutors charged Patel, of Pasadena, with attempted murder after the car he was driving plunged off a 250-foot (76 meters) cliff along the Pacific Coast Highway in San Mateo County, injuring his family.  All four survived the Jan. 2, 2023 crash in what one official called an “absolute miracle.”