Witnesses of the Navarre crash that claimed the lives of four grandmothers heard "the loudest bang" and said the accused woman was clearly in shock when she emerged from her car.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Ballarat trial of Stawell woman Lorraine Nicholson - who has pleaded not guilty to four charges of culpable driving causing death and the alternative four charges of dangerous driving causing death - continued in the County Court on Thursday.
The crash happened at the intersection of the Stawell-Avoca Road and the Ararat-St Arnaud Road at 6pm on May 5 2018.
Deborah Stanfield was on the verandah of her then-Navarre home which faced the cross road where the collision between Nicholson's Jeep and the Kia driven by Elaine Middleton and carrying passengers Margaret Ely, Dianne Barr and Claudia Jackson occurred.
READ MORE
Day one of trial: Defence says woman 'missed the brake'
Day two of trial: Major Collision Investigation Unit officer gives evidence
She told the court when she saw the two cars approaching the intersection, with the Jeep "consistent in speed... high speed", she told her friend Terri Veitch there was going to be an accident.
Ms Stanfield cried as she recounted seeing the four women in the Kia, which had come through the fence of her property. She called out to her husband who was inside their home to call 000.
She said when she approached Nicholson's Jeep, the woman was in shock and "shaking". Ms Stanfield told the court she tried to console the accused woman, and took her inside her home while trying to contact Nicholson's family members.
"I was saying it's not your fault... I was scared she was going to have a heart attack," the witness said.
Ms Stanfield gave evidence that the sun would not have shone directly in Nicholson's face, and there was ample light despite the collision occurring at dusk.
Another witness, Ms Veitch, told the court she heard "the loudest bang" but did not see the crash. She said when she reached Nicholson's car the airbag had gone off, and the woman was bracing herself with her back against the centre console. She said Nicholson repeatedly said that she didn't know what had happened.
Ms Veitch said she knew another car had been involved, but did not look at the Kia. When Nicholson came inside, the witness said she was staring into space.
The witness said the sun was below the trees when the crash happened, but there was still day light and no wind at the time.
Judge Michael Bourke said 12-person jury had attended the site of the collision on Thursday morning, and told jurors they would have "made what observations you felt were necessary and helpful".
The trial continues.