He said it appeared Swale had experienced an unusually rapid decline in blood glucose levels, with his readings around the time of the crash – less than 2.2 millimoles per litre – showing he was “virtually close to death”.
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Cohen said his patient told him after the crash that he didn’t receive any notifications at any time telling him his levels were getting low.
“I’d say he was hypoglycemic before 5pm, perhaps a quarter of an hour earlier. For the latter part of that time … severe hypoglycemic. Basically, the brain not functioning correctly,” Cohen said.
“It was very clear from what he reported he’d suffered an episode of severe hypoglycemia, which led to the accident occurring.”
Swale is charged with five counts of culpable driving causing death, two counts of negligently causing serious injury and seven counts of reckless conduct endangering life after his car ploughed into patrons at the Daylesford pub.
He has been an insulin-dependent type 1 diabetic since at least 1994, and there were conditions on his licence that required him to undergo medical assessments every two years.
Vivek Bhatia (left) and his son, Vihaan Bhatia (in blue top), died at the scene, alongside friends Pratibha Sharma (in academic gown) and her partner, Jatin Kumar (right). Sharma’s daughter, Anvi, died later in hospital. Ruchi Bhatia (in yellow) and son Abeer (bottom left) were seriously injured.
He was also using a continuous blood-glucose monitoring device, attached to his arm, which sent updates of his levels to his mobile phone.
On the evening of November 5, patrons were on wooden picnic tables on a grass reserve outside the Royal Daylesford Hotel – at the bottom of Albert Street – when CCTV footage showed Swale’s BMW fail to make a right-hand turn and drive straight across the reserve, hitting numerous patrons, killing five and seriously injuring others.
Vihaan Bhatia, 11, and his father, Vivek Bhatia, 38, died at the scene, alongside family friends Pratibha Sharma, 44, and Jatin Kumar, 30. Sharma’s nine-year-old daughter, Anvi, was taken to hospital, where she later died. Vihaan’s mother, Ruchi Bhatia, and his brother, Abeer, were seriously injured.
Three other people, a 43-year-old woman from Kyneton, a 38-year-old man from Cockatoo and an 11-month-old boy, were also injured.
The hearing continues.
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Driver William Swale severely hypoglycemic in minutes leading up to tragedy
