Car at the centre of deadly Bochara Victoria crash declared unroadworthy at the time
Horror twist as car at the center of horrific crash that killed female driver and three teens was declared impassable weeks earlier
- Car involved in fatal accident in Bochara found impassable before accident
- It was ‘canaried’ by police while parked in a nearby caravan park
The car that crashed into a tree killing three teenagers and the adult female driver had been declared roadworthy at the time of the incident.
The red Toyota Corolla involved in the fatal May 27 crash in Bochara, three and a half hours west of Melbourne, was reportedly declared unfit to drive by police in mid-April while parked at 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 is in stable condition in hospital as police continue to investigate the circumstances of the accident.
The car at the center of a fatal accident in Bochara (pictured) was declared impassable by police weeks prior to the accident that killed three teenagers and an adult
The Announce sun reports that the car was ‘canaried’ by the police, meaning they had declared the car immobile with a yellow piece of paper.
It’s not certain what influenced police to declare it impassable or if it contributed to the crash.
It is believed the car was found unfit just days before Montebello was arrested and charged with breaching her bail conditions when she was caught with the two teens in the early morning hours in Hamilton in April.
Ms Montebello was fined $700 without conviction for willful damage, two counts of stalking and four counts of breaching bail, the Warrnambool Standard reported.
The 31-year-old had also been disqualified twice before for driving under the influence of an unregistered car and driving while disqualified.
In the first incident, she was banned from driving for four months and 14 days from January 2015. She was then banned from driving again and given a 12-day suspended prison 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 before the crash is said to show the car traveling down a country road at about 80 mph.
Assistant Commissioner Weir said a crash reconstruction on the narrow strip of road where the accident occurred showed the car was traveling well above 60 mph.
“To get that speed on that road at that time of day, any time really, is just incomprehensible to me,” he said.
The decision to ‘canary’ the car was said to have been made just days before the car’s presumed owner, Alicia Montebello (pictured), was due to appear in court for breaching bail conditions
The suspected driver at the time, Montebello, was known to have driven ‘irregularly’ by locals and encouraged passengers not to wear seatbelts.
Matthew Elmes, 46, father of Joshua, feared Ms Montebello was a dangerous driver feeding the youngsters’ need for fast paced thrills.
“If you want an adrenaline rush, it’s probably better to go to a theme park or skydive, but don’t get in a car,” Mr Elmes said.
It is believed none of the passengers were wearing seat belts at the time of the incident.
The police hope that the lone survivor will help Jorja with investigations when she recovers.
Montebello was feared by a teen’s parents to have been their child for sex, with messages between the couple and images of the pair appearing online.
Victoria Police could not comment on whether the car was found to be roadworthy as the investigation is ongoing.