An international student failed to stop at a Cardigan intersection, causing a two-vehicle collision that killed her friend, an expert witness has said.
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Nasuha Nasser, 22, faced the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Wednesday for a committal hearing over the fatal crash at the Madden Road and Remembrance Drive intersection on November 24.
Major Collision Investigation Unit reconstructionist Detective Sergeant Robert Hay said the only cause of the crash was a failure to give way at the intersection, which had a stop sign and a speed limit of 80km/h.
He ruled out speeding and the failure of the passenger, who died four days after the crash, of wearing a seat belt.
"I think they are both going a little bit faster but the answer I get is failing to stop," Detective Sergeant Hay said during cross-examination.
"It's a failure to stop, yes."
Defence barrister Paul D'Arcy said there was a plan to change the intersection in 2016. He said since 2003, there had been two fatalities, five serious injuries and six injuries at the intersection.
In response, Detective Sergeant Hay said: "It doesn't surprise me. It's a dangerous intersection no matter which way you look at it".
"This collision on a roundabout probably would not have been fatal," he said.
Nasser, of Brunswick, was allegedly driving a blue Renault along Madden Road in Cardigan at 8.15pm on November 24, carrying four passengers.
Police allege she failed to stop at a T-intersection and collided with a white Triton travelling east on Remembrance Drive, carrying a 48-year-old man and his 10-year-old daughter.
Singaporean national Gwyneth Siying Lok died in The Alfred hospital four days after the crash. Other passengers, Yan Fei Ngoh, and Nasser's twin sister, Naimi Nasser, were seriously injured.
The group, which included Singaporean nationals visiting Nasser, were on their way home in a hire car after holidaying in Halls Gap.
The defence put to Detective Sergeant Hay the pub at the Madden Road and Remembrance Drive intersection impacted motorist's vision.
Detective Sergeant Hay agreed, saying "there is a stop sign at that intersection and for that reason there's limited vision".
He said there were no skid marks from either vehicle.
The driver of the Triton, Simon Forbes, told the court on Wednesday he had picked up his daughter at Cardigan and was travelling towards Ballarat when the crash occurred.
He said he had been on the road for one minute and was a couple of 100 metres from the Madden Road and Remembrance Drive intersection when he saw the Renault.
After hearing all of the evidence, magistrate Gregory Robinson committed Nasser to stand trial at the County Court.
Nasser pleaded not guilty to seven offences, including driving in a manner dangerous causing death, negligent driving causing serious injury, driving in a dangerous manner causing serious injury, careless driving and failing to stop and give way at a stop sign.
A direction's hearing was set for August 1 in Melbourne.
Nasser's bail was extended with conditions she report to police once a week, live at a static address, not to leave Australia and not to drive a motor vehicle.
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