A hotel has paid tribute to a "fantastic" man after a coroner concluded there was nothing he could have done to avoid his death in a crash on the A47.
Italian-born Mauro Samarani worked at Sprowston Manor as a restaurant supervisor before his death in December 2020.
Mr Samarani was 49 when he was involved in a head-on collision on the A47 at Halvergate, when a Vauxhall Astra driven by 74-year-old Janice Hill veered into his path.
Both he and Mrs Hill died as a result of the injuries they suffered at the scene of the crash.
During an inquest into his death alone, senior coroner for Norfolk Jacqueline Lake said that there was "no action he could have taken to avoid the collision".
General manager James Wright, on behalf of the whole team at Sprowston Manor, said: "Mauro was a fantastic person, with a wealth of experience in the hotel industry.
"Hailing from Lake Garda, Sirmione in Northern Italy, Mauro dedicated his life to working at Sprowston Manor.
"His life stories were empowering and his experience will be irreplaceable.
"Mauro was an exceptional colleague and more importantly a friend for the many staff at the hotel."
A bench and memorial plaque have been placed under two blossom trees at the hotel in his memory.
During the hearing on September 15, witnesses said Mrs Hill's car hit the passenger side kerb before veering into the Acle-bound carriageway opposite - colliding with Mr Samarani's Volkswagen Passat.
The court heard how Mrs Hill was found to have an amount of morphine in her blood following the crash, but that it was not clear when the medication had been taken and whether it had contributed to the crash.
A statement read on behalf of Marlene Coates, Mrs Hill's passenger during the crash, said she had spent the day with Mrs Hill leading up to the incident on December 20.
Ms Coates said she had seen "no sign" of her using the medication that day.
Ms Lake concluded that Mr Samarani, of Winifred Road, Great Yarmouth, had died as the result of a road traffic collision.
A separate inquest into Mrs Hill's death will be held on Thursday, September 16.
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