Man suspected of intentionally driving Tesla off California cliff

All four passengers - including two children - in incident at Devil's Slide cliff are receiving hospital care

Emergency personnel respond after a Tesla plunged off a cliff along the Pacific Coast Highway in Northern California. AP

The driver of a car that plunged off a cliff in Northern California, seriously wounding two children and a second adult after the 76-metre drop, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and child abuse, the California Highway Patrol said.

Dharmesh Patel of Pasadena will be booked into San Mateo County Jail after he is released from hospital, police said in a statement on Tuesday.

“CHP investigators worked throughout the night interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence from the scene,” the statement read.

“Based on the evidence collected, investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act.”

Mr Patel, 42, was in the car with a 41-year-old woman, a seven-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy, according to court documents cited by CBS.

He is a doctor in radiology at Providence Holy Cross Medical Centre in the Mission Hills area of Los Angeles, and a statement released by the hospital on Tuesday indicated that members of his family were in the car.

“Providence Holy Cross Medical Centre is deeply saddened to learn of a traffic incident involving one of our physicians and his family,” said the statement, which was reported by KABC-TV.

“We are extremely grateful there were no serious injuries. We will not respond further, as this incident is under investigation.”

Officials said it was a miracle the four survived after the car tumbled down a notorious cliffside along the Pacific coast near an area called Devil’s Slide.

The Tesla sedan plummeted about 76 metres and crashed into a rocky outcropping. It appears to have flipped a few times before landing on its wheels, wedged against the cliff only metres from the surf, said Brian Pottenger, a battalion chief for Coastside Fire Protection District/Cal Fire.

Crashes along Devil’s Slide, a steep, rocky and winding coastal area about 24km south of San Francisco, rarely end with survivors. There was no guardrail at the spot where the sedan went off the cliff, officials said.

On Monday, the victims were initially listed in critical condition but all four were conscious and alert when rescuers arrived.

“We go there all the time for cars over the cliff and they never live. This was an absolute miracle,” Chief Pottenger said.