California medical regulators aren’t taking any chances on a Southern California radiologist accused of driving his Tesla sedan off a cliff near Pacifica in a desperate bid to kill his family.
The Medical Board of California moved this week to bar Dharmesh Patel from practicing medicine — especially if he were released on bail — while he faces numerous attempted murder charges related to the Jan. 2 crash. The move was necessary, regulators argued in court filings this week, because Patel represented “an alarming danger to the public” in light of an “impairment of cognitive abilities needed to safely practice medicine.”
“Public protection therefore requires that Defendant be prohibited from practicing medicine throughout the pendency” of his criminal case, the medical board’s motion said.
The request, which was made with the help of an attorney with the California Attorney General’s office, was approved by San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Rachel Holt at a hearing Monday.
Patel, 41, remains held without bail in the San Mateo County jail since his arrest.
Investigators suspect Patel drove his family off a cliff on Jan. 2 near Devil’s Slide along Highway 1, sending the car plunging 250 feet onto a rocky beach. Patel suffered injuries to his leg and foot, and his wife suffered more severe injuries. While their 4-year-old child escaped with only bruises, their 7-year-old child was more seriously injured. Both children were released from the hospital within a month of the crash.
Patel has pleaded not guilty, claiming the family’s Tesla had been experiencing tire issues. He 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 tire. He added that the car’s tire-pressure sensor light had turned on beforehand.
Yet witnesses say the car never appeared to brake as it flew off the highway — accounts that were bolstered by video from the Tom Lantos…
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