Indian-origin family has miraculous escape in California car crash; dad arrested

New York, Jan 4

An Indian-origin family of four had a miraculous escape when their car went over a cliff falling about 75 metres in California but the father has been arrested and charged with attempted murder, according to officials.

Rescuers rappelled down the cliff to rescue the two children and two adults trapped in the Tesla when it went off the scenic Highway 1 that runs along the Pacific Ocean near San Francisco on Monday, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) said on Tuesday.

They were taken to a hospital with serious injuries, the CHP said.

The agency said that after interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence, investigators "believe this incident was an intentional act" and the driver Dharmesh A. Patel has been arrested on attempted murder and child abusecharge.

Tesla cars come with "autopilot" features that allow the vehicles to self-drive.

The CHP said that it has not determined the driving mode the Tesla was in when the incident happened but "that does not appear to be a contributing factor in this incident".

The CHP did not give a possible motive for Patel to have allegedly caused the vehicle to go over the cliff and said that it was not discussing further information.

KCRA TV said that the children were a four-year-old girl and a nine-year-old boy.

San Francisco's ABC7 TV said that Patel was a doctor at a California hospital.