By Freddy Pawle For Daily Mail Australia
03:44 09 Jun 2023, updated 03:44 09 Jun 2023
- Car involved in deadly Bochara crash found unroadworthy before accident
- It was ‘canaried’ by police while parked in a nearby caravan park
The car that ploughed into a tree killing three teenagers and its adult female driver had been declared unroadworthy at the time of the incident.
The red Toyota Corolla involved in the deadly May 27 crash in Bochara, three-and-a-half hours west of Melbourne, was reportedly declared not be fit drive by police in mid-April while it was parked in a caravan park in nearby Hamilton.
The crash killed 31-year-old Coles checkout supervisor and suspected driver, Alicia Montebello, and Hamilton teens Meghan Fox, 14, Joshua Elmes, 15, and Lucas Gorzali, 14.
Meghan’s 17-year-old sister, Jorja, survived the crash and remains in a stable condition in hospital while police continue to probe the circumstances surrounding the accident.
The Herald Sun reports the car was ‘canaried’ by police, meaning they had reported the car unroadworthy with a yellow piece of paper.
It is unsure what influenced police to declare it unroadworthy or if it contributed to the crash.
It is believed the car was found unfit to drive just days before Montebello was arrested and charged with breaching her bail conditions when she was caught with the two teenagers in the early hours of the morning at Hamilton in April.
Ms Montebello was fined $700 without conviction for wilful damage, two counts of stalking, and four counts of contravening bail, reported the Warrnambool Standard.
The 31-year-old had also previously twice been disqualified for drunk-driving an unregistered car and driving while disqualified.
The first incident saw her banned from driving for four months and 14 days from January in 2015, she was then banned yet again and received a suspended 12-day jail sentence.
She had also previously faced other charges of speeding, driving an unregistered vehicle and driving with alcohol in her blood while on P plates, as well as drug possession charges.
A video posted to Snapchat just hours prior to the crash allegedly shows the car travelling at about 130km/h down a country road.
Assistant Commissioner Weir said a crash reconstruction on the narrow strip of road where the accident occurred indicated the car was travelling well in excess of 100km/h.
‘To do that speed on that road at that time of day, any time really, is just incomprehensible to me,’ he said.
The suspected driver at the time, Montebello was known to have driven ‘erratically’ by locals, and encouraged passengers not to wear seatbelts.
Matthew Elmes, 46, father of Joshua, feared Ms Montebello was a dangerous driver who was feeding the youngsters’ need for quick thrills.
‘If you want an adrenaline rush, it’s probably better to go to a theme park or go skydiving, but don’t get in a car,’ said Mr Elmes.
None of the passengers are believed to have been wearing seat belts at the time of the incident.
Police are hoping for sole survivor Jorja to aid with enquiries when she recovers.
Montebello was feared by a teenager’s parents to have been their child for sex, with messages between the pair and images of the pair appearing online.
Victoria Police could not comment on whether the car was found unroadworthy as the investigation is ongoing.