Australian tourist says he forgot to drive on right side, kills couple, CA officials say

A tourist is going to jail after being convicted of killing two people in a wrong-way crash, California officials said.

Luke Samnuel Nardini, of Narrogin, Australia, was driving east on a highway when he came to a road closure in the east lane, according to a statement provided Oct. 25 by Stephen M. Wagstaffe, the San Mateo County district attorney.

While going between 55 mph and 60 mph, Nardini, merged onto the west lane and forgot to change back to the “right side of the road, as they drive on the left in Australia,” officials said.

Linda Davis, 80, and her husband, Jack Davis, 80, both of La Honda, were in the other car, KRON reported.

Davis and his wife were driving in the westbound lane when they went through a “sweeping curve” before seeing Nardini’s car 10-feet away, prosecutors said.

The cars crashed head on, killing the couple, officials said.

Nardini, 31, was sentenced to one year supervised probation, 60 days in jail with 10 days credit for time served, 10 hours of community service, a mandatory presentation through the Impact Awareness Group, a mandatory visit to three high schools to speak on the effects the case had on others, a presentation to the Coroner’s Office Save a Youth Program and restitution to the victims’ family, officials said.

He is out of custody while wearing a GPS monitoring device before he begins his sentencing Nov. 1, officials said.

San Mateo County is about a 40-mile drive south of San Francisco.

This story was originally published October 29, 2024 at 12:02 PM with the headline "Australian tourist says he forgot to drive on right side, kills couple, CA officials say."