The tragic deaths of five people in a horror smash in Victoria has drawn a grim parallel to another deadly accident last year.
Christopher Dylan Joannides, 29, allegedly slammed into a Nissan Navara ute and sent it spinning into the path of a truck transporting milk near Strathmerton, just south of the Victoria-NSW border, at about 2.30pm on Thursday.
The crash instantly killed the Nissan driver, a local woman in her 60s, her four international passengers – three women and a man all in their 20s – and a dog.
In a chilling coincidence, the victims of the crash were travelling in the same model of car as the five teenagers killed in a horror crash in NSW last year.
Three girls aged between 14 and 15, and two boys aged 15 and 16 were all killed when the Nissan Navara they were in veered off the road and slammed into a tree on East Parade, Buxton, near Picton, southwest of Sydney, on September 6.
Christopher Dylan Joannides, 29, (pictured) allegedly slammed into a Nissan Navara ute and sent it spinning into the path of a truck transporting milk at about 2.30pm on Thursday
Thursday’s crash was so bad disaster identification experts and search and rescue teams had to be called in to determine how many victims there were (the Mercedes is pictured)
Firefighters, paramedics and police rushed to the scene and were confronted with ‘absolute chaos’, with only the 18-year-old driver surviving.
The latest model of Nissan Navara is currently unrated in Australia, but previous models have a five star rating, according to Ancap.
On Thursday, identification experts and search and rescue teams had to be called in to determine how many victims had been involved in the crash.
Victoria Police had allegedly earlier clocked the white Mercedes sedan travelling 118km/h in a 100km/h zone.
In a chilling coincidence, the victims of the crash were travelling in the same model of car as five teenagers killed in a horror crash in Picton, NSW last September (pictured is the scene)
Tyrell Edwards, 18, (pictured) was charged after the Nissan Navara ute he was driving veered off the road and slammed into a tree in southwest Sydney on September 6, 2022
Heartbroken family gathered at the site of the Picton crash to farewell their loved ones
Joannides faced Shepparton Magistrates Court on Friday afternoon, charged with five counts of dangerous driving causing death.
Applying for bail, Joannides’ lawyer said he had no other prior offences, was not an unacceptable risk to the community, had a stable residence and family support.
Magistrate Simon Zebrowski granted him bail with strict conditions, including that he is banned from driving.
‘Probably the worst thing you could do is … to drive a motor vehicle,’ he said.
‘You’re not to drive a motor vehicle under any circumstance.’
Emergency services were called to an incident in Strathmerton, just south of the NSW border, about 2.30pm on Thursday with reports of a multi-car collision (pictured, map)
The Nissan Navara 4WD ute was thrown into the path of the truck after being struck by the Mercedes
Joannides must reside at his Doncaster address, surrender his passport and cannot leave Victoria or Australia.
Following the crash, Joannides and his 20-year-old female passenger were taken to hospital for treatment for minor injuries.
The driver of the truck, a 55-year-old man from Marionvale, was not injured and stopped at the scene.
While the circumstances of the crash are still under investigation, Assistant Commissioner of Road Policing Glenn Weir said police believe the four international victims are from Asia and were in Australia working in the local farming industry.
At the time of the incident, the Navara driver was dropping her employees home after they spent the day working at her property, Assistant Commissioner Weir said.
The death of five people in a horror crash in Victoria on Thursday has drawn a grim parallel to a deadly accident last yea The Nissan Navara ute is seen following the horror crash
Police from the major collision unit worked through the night to examine and investigate the cause of the crash.
Assistant Commissioner Weir said dash camera footage of the crash was ‘horrific’ and the tragedy would ‘significantly impact’ the first responders, local community, and victims’ families overseas for a long time.
He said the truck driver was ‘absolutely devastated’ and was driving along and doing the right thing when his life ‘changed in a split second’.
The quintuple fatality is the most deadly car accident Victoria has seen since 2012.
Assistant Commissioner Weir said there has been a significant rise in multiple-fatality crashes this year compared to 2022 on Victorian roads.
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