The drug test results of a Mercedes driver who allegedly killed five people and a dog just moments after he was caught speeding by police have been revealed.
Christopher Dylan Joannides, 29, allegedly hit a Nissan Navara ute which sent it spinning into the path of a B-double truck near Strathmerton, just south of the Victoria-NSW border, about 2.30pm on Thursday.
Joannides was charged with five counts of dangerous driving death after admitting he was the driver of the white Mercedes sedan during an interview with police.
According to court documents, the 29-year-old was pulled over just 2km from the crash site after he was caught doing 118km/hour in a 100km/hour zone.
He allegedly told officers he had smoked cannabis ‘one day or more ago’ and returned a positive result for cannabis on a preliminary ‘lick stick’ saliva test.
However, a second sample was tested and did not show a positive result, with Joannides handed an on-the-spot fine and allowed to continue driving.
Victoria Police spent a total of 40 minutes with the 29-year-old before concluding the traffic stop at 2.19pm, just three minutes before the horror smash.
A blood sample from Joannides will be tested to determine whether he had drugs in his system with the second ‘lick stick’ test to also be sent for further testing.
Christopher Dylan Joannides, 29, allegedly hit a Nissan Navara ute which sent it spinning into the path of a B-double truck
Five people were killed in a horror crash between two cars and a B-double truck in northern Victoria on Thursday
The Nissan Navara 4WD ute was thrown into the path of the truck after being struck by the Mercedes
Police will allege that after leaving the traffic stop, Joannides then ran through a give way sign at the Labuan Road and Murray Valley Hwy intersection.
The crash instantly killed the Nissan driver, a local woman in her 60s, her four international passengers – three women and a man aged believed to be aged between 23 and 30 – and a dog.
The crash was so bad disaster identification experts and search and rescue teams had to be called in to determine how many victims there were.
Applying for bail in Shepparton Magistrates Court on Friday afternoon, 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.
The Nissan Navara ute is seen following the horror crash that killed five people and a dog
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)
‘Probably the worst thing you could do is … to drive a motor vehicle,’ the magistrate said.
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‘You’re not to drive a motor vehicle under any circumstance.’
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.
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.
The crash took place at the intersection of Murray Valley Hwy and Labuan Rd (pictured)
Police and emergency services are pictures at the scene of the crash on Thursday
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.
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 experienced since 2012.
Assistant Commissioner Weir said there has been a significant rise in multiple-fatality crashes this year compared to 2022 on Victorian roads.
Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said there has been a significant rise in multiple-fatality car crashes this year on Victorian roads
In an emotional plea, he urged drivers to heed road rules to stay safe especially as more people hit the road ahead of the weekend and Anzac Day.
‘Today a lot of people will take the opportunity to travel and perhaps enjoy a day off on Monday and Tuesday as a public holiday. But the people who won’t travel are these people who are dead,’ he said.
‘So when the all the tape is taken down, all the cars are towed away, and everything is cleaned up and everyone will move on, it is quite easy for the crash to be something that happened the other week, the other month, or last year.
‘But we can’t let it stop at that. It is time for people to wake up.
‘I don’t know what more we can do to try and appeal to people to take care.’
He will return to court on September 19.
