Tesla plunges 70m off cliff in California, passengers miraculously survive

A Tesla Model Y plummeted over 70m off the Pacific Coast Highway in Northern California but rescuers were stunned to find that all four people survived the disaster labelling it a "miracle".

The Tesla flipped several times before landing on its wheels and wedged against the cliff a few metres from the raging ocean currents.

Mr Patel, his wife Neha, and their nine-year-old son and four-year-old daughter miraculously survived the crash and were airlifted to hospital with critical injuries.

The Devil's Slide is a steep, rocky, winding coastal route around 24km south of San Francisco.

Several hours later, rescue teams from the California Fire San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit, the CHP, the US Coast Guard, and the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office arrived at the collision site, where they discovered the four family members conscious and alert in the electric vehicle.

A bizarre turn of events

Soon after, the case took an even more bizarre turn, with the father accused of intentionally causing the crash. Officers from the CHP's San Francisco bureau examined the crash site and based on the evidence collected, investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act.

The bureau said that witness statements from other motorists and surveillance cameras from nearby tunnels had given his office enough evidence to lay the charges.

Expect delays after a vehicle went over the side of the cliff at Devil’s Slide. WATCH pic.twitter.com/dtL7BaBiE4

— CAL FIRE CZU (@CALFIRECZU) January 2, 2023

The Tesla was not found to be in self-driving mode at the time of the crash, and the California Highway Patrol had seen no signs that the vehicle had malfunctioned.

On Jan 27 the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office announced that Mr Patel had been released from the hospital and jailed on suspicion of attempted murder and child abuse.

He was charged on Monday (Jan 30) with three counts of attempted murder.

ALSO READ: California doctor who drove Tesla off cliff to be charged with attempted murder

This article was first published in CarBuyer.