Topics: News, US News, Cars, Crime, Mental Health
The wife of a man who allegedly drove his family car off a cliff has said that she wants him to come home to 'restore our family'.
On January 2, 2023, Dharmesh Patel was driving with his wife, Neha Patel, and their two children, a 7-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy, in their Tesla car when it went off a cliff, known as 'Devil's Slide' in California.
Luckily, all four occupants survived the crash, but according to a affidavit obtained by The San Francisco Chronicle, Patel's wife claimed that her husband had drove off the cliff 'on purpose'.
Patel was charged with three counts of attempted murder, but has plead not guilty.
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San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe has previously said that two doctors had testified that Patel had been suffering from a psychotic break at the time of the incident, according to the Los Angeles Times.
According to the outlet, he'd believed that his two children would be sex trafficked, with doctors also reportedly saying that he suffered from major depressive disorder.
At the time of incident, his wife also told rescuers that her husband was 'depressed', Sky News reports.
The radiologist is currently seeking a mental health division - which, if granted, would release him from jail and place him on a two-year treatment plan.
And in a statement submitted to the court via Zoom on May 2, it has been reported that Neha doesn't want to 'see her husband prosecuted with any of his charges'.
She said: “I am pleading with the court to grant him his mental health diversion.
"We need him in our lives and it has been over a year and a half since my children or I have seen or spoken to Dharmesh.
"We are not a family without him.”
Neha added: “The mental health treatment … will not only restore him back to himself, but will restore our family."
The mom-of-two went on to describe how the incident has affected her and her children, saying: “Seeing my kids in constant pain is one of the hardest things I’ve had to endure.
"Once I tuck my children into bed at night I’m reminded of my own solitude.
"I really miss my best friend. I really miss my partner in my life.”
Neha also added that her son had recently asked her 'When's Daddy home?', while their daughter has still held on to a stuffed sea turtle, which was the last gift her father had bought her.
Attorney Dr Mark Patterson has supported the family's claims, previously saying that Patel had exhibited 'paranoid and kind of delusional thinking' days prior to the incident, adding: "There were concerns surrounding the explosion of fentanyl in this country and the war in Ukraine."
Sky News also reports that Neha said her husband's action were 'a mental health episode beyond any of our understanding and control', and said that 'things will different' if he is able to return home to his family.
The trial continues.
