Australian tourist charged in double fatal crash in San Mateo County, DA says
An Australian tourist was charged with two counts of vehicular manslaughter for a deadly crash on state Highway 84 in San Mateo County on Sept. 1 prosecutors said Wednesday.
Luke Nardini, 31, made his initial appearance in court Tuesday to face the charges for the crash reported around 5:10 p.m. on Highway 84 east of Peek-A-Boo Lane.
According to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, Nardini was driving east in a BMW on the highway when there was a closure of the eastbound lane, so he moved into the westbound lane and apparently forgot to move back to the right side of the road since vehicles travel on the left side of the road in Australia.
The California Highway Patrol said a Ford Taurus going west on a blind curve on a highway collided with the BMW, killing the two rear passengers in the Taurus.
They have been identified by the county coroner's office as Jack Davis and Linda Davis, both 80-year-old La Honda residents. Two other people in the Taurus were taken to a hospital to be treated for injuries.
Nardini was arrested and charged following the crash and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Tuesday. Bail has been set at $20,000 and the case was continued to Sept. 19 for a bail motion, with a pre-trial hearing set for Oct. 11 and Nov. 17 as the starting date for the trial, prosecutors said.
An attorney for Nardini was not immediately available to comment on the case.