A California man was accused of barreling a Tesla Model Y off Devil’s Slide, in an attempt to murder his family. The accident took place in a Tesla 20 miles south of San Francisco, on Monday morning.

Dharmesh Patel a Californian doctor was accused of attempting to murder his family when he plunged his family off a 250 foot cliff in a Tesla model Y.

Patel was driving with his wife and two children ages 4 and 7 on Monday morning 20 miles south of San Francisco. Police say Patel launched the vehicle off the cliff 20 minutes into the drive. The tragic incident ended with a miracle when all passengers of the vehicle survived the plunge.

An expert on accidents and reconstruction, Jose Granda, said he doesn’t believe the vehicle flipped, “computer simulations show it couldn’t have, he said — nor did it smash into the cliffside.”

Due to Tesla’s mechanical engineering and safety features, researchers say the survival of the incident was almost a miracle. It isn’t clear how fast Patel was driving when the vehicle left the cliff on the Highway Nor is it clear what driving mode Patel was using before the SUV plunged off the cliff.

Jose Granda said “if the vehicle would have rolled just one time the roof would have completely collapsed and killed everyone inside.”

Police analyzed the sight of the damaged vehicle and stated it appeared the roof was intact with a piece of the SUV’s back door on top of it. This was the biggest reason all passengers lived. The batteries in the vehicle’s back end most likely kept the vehicle from tilting forward, as with a car with an engine under the hood it would have tilted forward. 

Experts are saying this was an attempt of murder, but police haven’t identified a motive. Patel will be put into the San Mateo County Jail on attempted murder and child abuse charges after he is released from the hospital. Thanks to Tesla’s safety features and good mechanics, everyone involved in this tragic incident is alive and recovering.