Five people died in the worst crash on Victorian roads in 11 years following a crash near Strathmerton last Thursday.
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Five occupants of a Nissan Navara, as well as a dog, all died in the crash at the intersection of Labuan Rd and the Murray Valley Hwy at 2.22pm.
Police allege a Mercedes sedan drove through a give way sign while travelling north on Labuan Rd, pushing the Navara, which was travelling west on the Murray Valley Hwy, into the path of an oncoming milk tanker.
The Mercedes driver had been released by police three minutes before the crash after they pulled him over for allegedly speeding.
The driver of the Nissan Navara was a 60 year old woman from the region.
Her four passengers are believed to be from overseas and aged between 23 and 30.
The driver of the Mercedes, Christopher Dillon Joannidis, 29, of the Melbourne suburb of Doncaster, has been charged with five counts of dangerous driving causing death.
He successfully applied for bail in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
He did not enter pleas to any of the charges.
In a preliminary brief read by magistrate Simon Zebrowski, police allege Mr Joannidis was driving his Mercedes north on Labuan Rd when he failed to stop at a give way sign.
In the document, police did not say how fast he was going, but allege he “did not appear to slow before the intersection” with the Murray Valley Hwy.
Mr Joannidis’ vehicle struck the rear passenger side of a Nissan Navara ute causing it to rotate out of control onto the wrong side of the road and into the path of a B-double milk tanker travelling in the opposite direction.
The collision was described by police as “catastrophic”, with the truck continuing east before coming to rest on the side of the road having partially dragged the ute, the court heard.
Some of the deceased had just been collected after their shift at a nearby abattoir.
Moira Shire Council has offered counselling services to people impacted by the fatal road crash.
In passing on their condolences to the families impacted by the tragedy, Moira Shire’s administrator John Tanner and acting chief executive Joshua Lewis said the council was making available a range of counselling services to assist all those involved in the incident.
“Our whole community is affected deeply by this tragedy,’’ Mr Tanner said.
“We will provide whatever assistance we can to help the families and relatives cope with its effects on their lives.
“I extend this in particular to the families of Ms Debbie Markey and those who have flown in from overseas, as well as to the people at JBS Australia abattoirs (in Cobram) and Booth Transport and its driver who was involved in the accident.”
The truck driver, a Marionvale man, 55, was taken to hospital and later released, before returning to hospital early Friday with migraines.
Mr Joannidis and his girlfriend, 20, were taken to Goulburn Valley Health, with Mr Joannidis released early Friday.
The prosecution court documents show Mr Joannidis had been pulled over by police driving at 118km/h in a 100km/h zone at 1.43pm in Labuan Rd.
A preliminary oral fluid drug test done by police on Mr Joannidis returned a positive result for cannabis, however when he supplied an oral sample of his fluid for testing, it did not show a positive result, the prosecution brief said. Further testing will now be done by police.
Mr Joannidis was fined for speeding when he was pulled over by police and left there only three minutes before the fatal crash occurred.
The court heard Mr Joannidis was visibly upset when he was interviewed by police on Friday, and gave mainly a “no comment” interview.
The court also heard Mr Joannidis did not have any prior convictions, had stable accommodation and had support of his family — with his brother present in court for the short bail application.
At the time of the crash, he was travelling from Melbourne to a friend’s wedding in NSW.
Prosecutor Samantha Owen urged the magistrate to implement a surety to ensure Mr Joannides returned to court, but this was rejected by the magistrate.
Bail was granted with the conditions including Mr Joannidis not drive, surrender his passport, live in Doncaster, not leave Victoria or Australia, and not use any drugs.
Mr Joannidis will face the Shepparton Magistrates’ Court again on September 19 for a committal mention.
Moira Shire is working with Victoria Police and the Department of Transport to improve the immediate safety of the intersection.
“We believe a corridor plan for the Murray Valley Hwy with a strong focus on safety along its entire route across Moira would be an important initiative,” Mr Lewis said.
“The road is the backbone of the shire’s transport network and must be safe for all users, whether they are driving trucks, cars or motorcycles.”
The Strathmerton fatal collision comes only weeks after a double fatality in Yarrawonga at the Murray Valley Highway and Hogans Road intersection on March 25, where residents have been calling for an immediate reduction of the speed limit.
A minute’s silence will be held at the council meeting on Wednesday, April 26, to reflect on the loss of lives and the families affected by the incident.