The Holden Commodore ute crashed near Riverside Plaza on the Goulburn Valley Hwy at Kialla at 11.15pm on Thursday, July 3.
All four lanes of the highway were littered with debris after the crash, with the road closed and traffic diverted down nearby service roads for about 16 hours until about 3pm the following day while police carried out their investigations.
Shepparton police Sgt Wallis Murnane said the road had to be closed for so long because the crash had to be investigated as a significant crime.
She said it was believed that high speed was a factor in the crash.
The sheer distance that debris was strewn meant the police had a large distance to cover as part of the investigation.
Sgt Murnane said there was too much evidence to clean-up on a night-shift, so the road was closed for the investigation to continue the following day.
“Police procedure is we lock things down and process the scene,” she said.
“The scene needed to be processed methodically and slowly.
“As with all our investigations there is a chance that it will go to court.”
Sgt Wallis said the location of the crash on a busy highway meant more people had seen the road closures and detours that came from it, as opposed to incidents that happen on rural roads.
Three teenagers in the ute were all taken to hospital in Melbourne following the collision.
The 18-year-old Melbourne man driving the vehicle, as well as his passengers – a 19-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man from the Shepparton area – all remained in hospital on Monday.
Police are still in the early stages of investigating the crash.
Anyone with dash-cam footage or videos, or any information, should phone Leading Senior Constable Bernie Cline at Shepparton Highway Patrol on 5820 5777, or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au
