Australian tourist charged with killing 80-year-old couple while driving in California
The man identified as Luke Nardini, 31, faces two counts of vehicular manslaughter for the fatal crash that killed Linda Davis and Jack Davis.
A traffic accident killed an elderly couple in California last week, with the suspect being an Australian tourist who drove on the wrong side of the road, local authorities reported.
The subject, identified as Luke Nardini, 31, was driving a BMW M4 around 5:00 p.m. last Sept. 1 when he encountered a road closure due to construction, FOX San Francisco reported.
Instead of following the signs, the suspect swerved into the oncoming lane, and forgot that in Australia you drive on the left side, according to police reports.
Nardini was formally charged by San Mateo County prosecutors with two counts of vehicular manslaughter for the deaths of Jack and Linda Davis, both 80.
The couple were riding in the back seat of a Ford Taurus that was rammed head-on by the BMW M4. The driver and co-driver of the Ford Taurus were injured and transported to the hospital.
Nardini also suffered serious injuries, including a fractured vertebra. He was admitted to the hospital under police custody. Investigators ruled out alcohol or drugs as a factor in the accident.
Nardini’s mother posted on the Facebook platform a message expressing her son’s grief over what happened, offering immediate details of his situation.
“He has again expressed how sorry he is for what happened,” the suspect’s mother wrote in a message that she later deleted. “He wanted to convey to us that he is OK and that he is being treated well.”
Nardini had traveled to the United States for three weeks, and was scheduled to return to Australia in the coming days, the Australian media outlet Sydney Morning Herald noted….
So far, Nardini remains in custody at the San Mateo County Jail with bail set at $20,000. His next court date is September 11.