Unable to handle ' fatherhood', US dad deliberately crashes car to kill son

Washington: A 29-year-old man from Colorado, US, is facing charges of attempted murder, after he confessed to police officers that he deliberately crashed his car in an attempt to kill his two-and-a-half year old son, unable to handle the pressures of fatherhood.

According to reports, Nathan Weitzel rammed his car into several other cars on August 21, with his son seated by him in the passenger seat, at a speed of 75 kilometre per hour.

Driving to a nearby park, Weitzel said that he fastened his own seat belt, but failed to do the same for his son Isaiah, as it would increase the likelihood of him being killed in the "accident."

"I was trying to kill my son," Weitzel reportedly told police, and conceded that on the day of the assault, he was under the influence of cocaine.

Police officers investigating the case said that after leaving the park, Weitzel looked around for a good place to crash his car. After crashing the car onto the front yard of a neighbourhood house, he was seen hitting the child repeatedly with his elbow, shocked witnesses said.

The child survived the crash, but is now confined to a bed until he recovers, with much of his body in cast.

Weitzel faces multitude of charges, including attempted first-degree murder, child abuse, assault, criminal mischief, possession of a controlled substance and vehicular assault.