Photo by James Short.
Bhargav M. Patel, of the 2600 block of Denbeigh Drive, Hatfield, was not tried on charges of reckless driving.
A Hatfield man admitted to DUI and having a BAC in excess of 0.16% when he careened off the 202 Parkway in a Tesla that went airborne and crashed into a treeline in Warrington Township last summer, and received probation as his sentence.
Bhargav M. Patel, 38, of the 2600 block of Denbeigh Drive, pleaded guilty Jan. 2 to misdemeanor DUI and misdemeanor DUI with a BAC of 0.16% or higher, according to court records. Patel received six months of probation for his crimes from Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey L. Finley. He must be on electronic monitoring and home confinement until Jan. 12 and must pay a $1,000 fine.
Patel was not prosecuted on charges of reckless driving, and failure to drive in a single lane, per court documents.
By James Short On July 6 at 6:52 p.m., police received a call of a white Tesla speeding southbound on the 202 Parkway from the Bristol Road intersection, headed in the direction of the Pickertown Road bridge underpass, according to an affidavit. The 911 caller was behind the Tesla and updating a dispatcher on the Tesla’s actions on the roadway, police said.The caller said the vehicle was swerving and almost hit a guardrail, and was afraid it was going to crash, police said.
After passing the Pickertown Road bridge underpass, the Tesla left the roadway, went up an embankment, and became airborne, finally crashing into trees adjacent to the Parkway, per the complaint.
Police said Patel was driving as fast as 90 mph.
Bucks County 911 received a message from Patel’s Tesla informing them of the crash’s latitude and longitude, police said.
Warrington Fire, Warrington Police and Warrington Community Ambulance Corps responded to the scene, as did several witnesses to the crash, such as passersby and homeowners, police said.
Police went to the Tesla and found Patel as the sole occupant. He suffered from a laceration on his face and was otherwise ambulatory and lucid, per the complaint.
Police said there was an odor of alcohol on him and he had bloodshot, glassy eyes. There were open White Claw cans thrown around the inside of the car, police said. Patel told police he had been drinking whiskey prior to the crash, per the affidavit.
Paramedics secured Patel on a backboard and brought him out of the woods onto a gurney. Police spoke to Patel and noted the strong odor of alcohol on him, police said. He took a pre-arrest breath test, which indicated a positive reading for alcohol, according to the complaint. Police followed the ambulance corps to Grand View Hospital, where Patel refused a blood test, police said.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
By James Short 
