Adelaide grandma wakes from coma to find husband of 60 years dead after Kudla crash

Waking up from a coma, the last thing this 75-year-old Adelaide grandma remembered was the sickening moment her car was hit. What she didn’t know was the crash claimed the life of her husband.

The last photo taken of Robert, 80, and Annette Harvey, 75, together before a tragic crash in Kulda that claimed Robert’s life. Picture: Supplied

Waking from a three-day coma, bruised and broken, Annette Harvey turned to her daughter and asked: “Why hasn’t your dad been here yet?”

The 75-year-old remembered the sickening moment their car was hit, then nothing.

She didn’t know yet that her husband of 60 years, Richard Harvey, had died.

She was unaware she’d spent days unconscious while he took his final breath, with their three children and grandkids and his granddaughter holding his hand to the end.

“Besides watching dad die, telling her he was gone was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” daughter Kathleen said.

The couple had just dropped off their grandson and were heading home to their retirement village near Virginia when tragedy struck on May 18. Police allege a 41-year-old Gawler West woman had been driving dangerously when she collided with their car at Stebonheath Rd and Angle Vale Rd, Kudla.

She’s since been charged with causing death and serious harm by dangerous driving and will face court on July 31.

Richard, 80, was rushed to Lyell McEwin Hospital with serious injuries — including a shattered sternum and a hole in his bladder.

Robert Harvey, 80, tragically died after a crash in Kulda on May 18. Picture: Supplied

He’d been living with terminal lung cancer, but was still active and had insisted on coming along for the morning drive.

“He was doing okay,” Kathleen said. “He still had years left, but that time was taken from us.”

After surgery, Richard was conscious and talking. Kathleen says their final words were: “I love you.”

But soon after, his breathing deteriorated. Too weak to recover, and with a no-resuscitation order in place, the family made the heartbreaking decision to switch off life support.

“We were all with him when he passed,” Kathleen said.

Robert, 80, and Annette Harvey, 75, pictured with their family. Picture: Supplied

Meanwhile, Annette had been taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with devastating injuries: nine broken ribs, a fractured spine, a broken wrist, collarbone and foot, plus a punctured lung. She also suffers from emphysema and has a pacemaker.

Doctors warned she might not survive — but she defied the odds.

“When she woke up, the first thing she said was, ‘Why hasn’t dad come?’” Kathleen said.

“I couldn’t bring myself to tell her at first … but the next day, I had to tell her. It was awful.”

The couple had been inseparable since Annette and Richard were teenagers.

“They did everything together,” Kathleen said. “They were soulmates.”

Richard is being remembered as a great dad — often quiet and stoic on the outside, but full of love, with a big heart who always showed up when it mattered most.

“Dad was the heart of our family, and he was taken from us far too soon,” Kathleen said.

“He was an amazing father and grandfather. This whole situation has been a nightmare for us.”

Originally published as Adelaide grandma wakes from coma to find husband of 60 years dead after Kudla crash