Driver caught speeding before crash that killed Hongkonger

A Hongkonger and three Taiwanese were killed in a suspected drug-driving crash in Australia last Thursday, in what was Victoria's deadliest car crash in a decade.

The Hongkonger, who was in Australia for a working holiday, was among four passengers in a car driven by their 62-year-old female employer and farm owner Deborah Markey.

Markey was driving her workers home - described by Australian police as "something she had done often" - near Strathmerton on a highway along the border of Victoria and New South Wales when she was hit by a 29-year-old Mercedes-Benz driver at around 2.30pm.

Markey, driving a Nissan Navara, lost control and crashed head-on into a milk tanker, killing her, the four workers and a dog.

Australian authorities did not identify the passengers but local reports said they included one Hongkonger and three Taiwanese aged between 23 and 30.

The Hong Kong Immigration Department said it has received a request for assistance from the family of the deceased Hongkonger, but did not reveal the identity, age or gender of the victim.

"The department is following up with the case through the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, as well as the Chinese Consulate-General in Melbourne," a spokesman said.

"We will assist in accordance with the deceased's family's will."

The Mercedes-Benz driver, Christopher Dillon Joannidis, sustained slight injuries, while the milk tanker driver was unhurt.

Joannidis was reportedly pulled over by police and fined for speeding at 118 kilometers per hour in a 100 km/h zone, just minutes before the deadly crash.

He allegedly returned a positive reading for cannabis on a preliminary test, but a second check was negative, so he was permitted to leave at 2.18pm, as police sent his samples to a lab for further testing.

It was reported that after the crash, Joannidis admitted to police that he had smoked cannabis one day or more beforehand, while a hospital test also found traces of cannabis in his blood.

Police have alleged that the driver failed to give way or slow down at the intersection before crossing onto the highway, despite "clearly visible signage" and rumble strips with a warning sign to reduce speed and give way.

Joannidis has been charged with five counts of dangerous driving causing death.

He was brought to a local court on Friday and released on bail pending the next hearing on September 19.

The maximum penalty for the crime in Australia comes in two tiers, including 15 years in jail for a basic or first-time offense and life imprisonment for an aggravated or repeat offense. Drug driving is classified as an aggravated offense.