California family survived 250-foot plunge off a cliff; Experts say luck and Tesla’s design kept them alive

ALAMEDA, Calif. – A California doctor is alleged to have plunged his family hundreds of feet down a coastal cliff in what authorities have described as a murder attempt, but their improbable survival is likely because of luck and a well-built vehicle, experts said.

Dharmesh Patel, 41, is accused of barreling a Tesla Model Y off Devil’s Slide, a roughly 250-foot cliff 20 miles south of San Francisco, on Monday morning, the California Highway Patrol said.

Images captured by a rescue team showed the battered SUV right-side up, perched precariously on a rocky ledge just above the Pacific Ocean.

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