Parallel Drawn Between Strathmerton Crash and Picton Tragedy as it’s Discovered Both Victims Were in Nissan Navara Ute

The tragic death of five people in a horror attack in Victoria has drawn a stark parallel to another fatal accident last year.

Christopher Dylan Joannides, 29, is believed to have crashed into a Nissan Navara ute at about 2.30pm on Thursday, sending it into the path of a truck carrying milk near Strathmerton, just south of the Victoria/NSW border.

The crash instantly killed the Nissan driver, a local woman in her 60s, her four international passengers — three women and a man in his 20s — and a dog.

By a chilling coincidence, the victims of the crash were traveling in the same car model as the five teenagers who died in a horror crash in NSW last year.

Three girls aged 14 to 15 and two boys aged 15 to 16 were all killed when the Nissan Navara they were in went off the road and crashed into a tree on East Parade, Buxton, near Picton, southwest of Sydney , on Sept. 6. .

Firefighters, paramedics and police rushed to the scene and were met with “absolute chaos,” with only the 18-year-old driver surviving.

The latest model of the Nissan Navara is currently unrated in Australia, but previous models have five stars, according to the report Ancap.

On Thursday, identification experts and search and rescue teams had to be called in to determine how many victims were involved in the crash.

Victoria Police had reportedly previously clocked the white Mercedes sedan traveling at 118 km/h in a 100 km/h zone.

Joannides stood before Shepparton Magistrates Court on Friday afternoon charged with five counts of dangerous driving resulting in death.

Joannides’ lawyer applied for bail and said he had no other previous offenses, posed no unacceptable risk to the community, had stable residence and family support.

Magistrate Simon Zebrowski granted him bail under strict conditions, including a driving ban.

“Probably the worst thing you can do… is drive a motor vehicle,” he said.

“Under no circumstances may you operate a motor vehicle.”

Joannides must live at his address in Doncaster, surrender his passport, and must not leave Victoria or Australia.

Following the crash, Joannides and his 20-year-old female passenger were taken to hospital for treatment of 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 Road Policing Commissioner Glenn Weir said police believe the four international victims are from Asia and worked in the local agricultural industry in Australia.

At the time of the incident, the Navara driver was dropping her employees off at home after working on her property all day, Assistant Commissioner Weir said.

Police from the major collision unit worked through the night to investigate and investigate the cause of the crash.

Assistant Commissioner Weir said dash cam footage of the crash was “horrific” and that the tragedy would have “significant consequences” for the first responders, the local community and the families of the victims abroad for a long time to come.

He said the truck driver was “absolutely devastated” and was driving and doing the right thing when his life “changed in a split second.”

The quintuple fatal accident is the deadliest car crash Victoria has seen since 2012.

Assistant Commissioner Weir said the number of multi-fatal accidents has risen significantly this year compared to 2022 on Victorian roads.