Police will contact almost 140 witnesses as they gather evidence for the investigation into the tragic death of five people outside of Daylesford's Royal Hotel earlier this month.
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An update regarding the police's investigation into the crash was provided to the Victorian Coroner's Court on Wednesday, as part of an initial directions hearing into the matter.
About 6.05pm on November 5, 2023, five people were killed, and five were injured when a white BMW mounted the kerb at the intersection of Albert Street and the Midland Highway, and drove into a beer garden area in the centre of town.
Among the dead are a family of three from Point Cook: Jatin Chugh, 30, Pratibha Sharma, 44, and her daughter Anvi, 9.
Two members of a second family known to them also died: Tarneit resident Vivek Bhatia, 38, and his son Vihaan, 11.
A 66-year-old Mount Macedon man was the sole driver of the white BMW, and was taken to the Ballarat Base Hospital, where he was released pending further enquiries.
Wednesday's hearing at the Coroner's Court was scheduled to take stock of the police's investigation into the matter, after which the coroner would begin looking into the five deaths.
The Coroners' Court does not find blame against anyone involved in an incident, and is separate to any police investigations - however, police investigations are used as part of the Coroners' Court proceedings.
A coronial investigation looks at the surrounding circumstances of a death and makes recommendations to reduce preventable deaths.
The update was provided by police to make sure processes do not overlap in their investigations.
The lead investigator into the crash addressed the court, and said police would be looking into the potential role the 66-year-old driver's diabetes had in the crash.
Police would also be looking into who exactly owned the land where the beer garden at in Daylesford, and the safety issues it presented.
They said it was too early to say whether criminal charges would be laid, or to provide a timeline on how long the investigation would take.
The matter was adjourned pending more developments in the police investigation.
