![\"Indian-Origin](\"https:\/\/c.ndtvimg.com\/2023-06\/09470tho_indianorigin-man-drives-tesla-off-cliff_625x300_15_June_23.jpg\"\/ "\\"Indian-Origin")
<\/div>\nRegulators said Mr. Patel represented “an alarming danger to the public”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
New York: <\/b><\/p>\n
\u00a0A US court has barred a 41-year-old Indian-origin doctor from practicing medicine as he is facing multiple attempted murder charges for driving his family off a cliff in California, a media report said.<\/p>\n
Dharmesh A Patel, a radiologist, was charged with three counts of murder in January for intentionally driving a Tesla off a cliff with his wife and two children inside.<\/p>\n
A motion by the Medical Board of California to bar Patel from practicing medicine \u2014 especially if he were released on bail, was approved on Monday by San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Rachel Holt at a hearing, The Mercury News reported earlier this week.<\/p>\n
The regulators termed the move necessary while arguing in court filings this week, as Mr. Patel represented \u201can alarming danger to the public\u201d in light of an \u201cimpairment of cognitive abilities needed to safely practice medicine,” the newspaper reported.<\/p>\n
\u201cPublic protection, therefore, requires that Defendant be prohibited from practicing medicine throughout the pendency\u201d of his criminal case, the medical board’s motion said.<\/p>\n
Regulators also cited comments made by Mr. Patel’s wife after her rescue. She told an emergency worker that Patel \u201cdid it on purpose,\u201d adding later that \u201che drove off,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe’s depressed,\u201d said Mr Patel’s wife, according to court documents. \u201cHe’s a doctor. He said he was going to drive off the cliff. He purposely drove off,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Mr. Patel, a resident of Pasadena, California, remains in prison without bail in the San Mateo County jail since his arrest.<\/p>\n
Investigators suspect Mr Patel drove his family off a cliff near Devil’s Slide along Highway 1, sending the car plunging 250 feet onto a rocky beach.<\/p>\n
He pleaded not guilty, claiming the family’s Tesla had been experiencing tyre issues, and told investigators that he stopped three times at gas stations that day while driving to the Devil’s Slide area to put air in his left-rear tyre.<\/p>\n
Mr Patel’s leg and foot were injured in the crash, while his wife suffered more severe injuries. Their 4-year-old child escaped with only bruises, but their 7-year-old child was more seriously injured. Both children were released from the hospital within a month of the crash.<\/p>\n
A preliminary hearing set for this week was delayed while attorneys continue to review evidence in the case, the report said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n