MELBOURNE - Six foreign backpackers in their 20s on a fruitpicking holiday in central Victoria were run down by a car as they were walking to an orchard near Shepparton on Wednesday.
One woman, from Hong Kong, was flown to The Alfred hospital, fighting for her life with severe head injuries.
Paramedics put her in an induced coma at the scene on Baulch Road at Dhurringile, south of Shepparton.
Her companions, four women and one man were also injured.
One of the other women suffered a broken leg while the others escaped with minor injuries.
The driver of the car, Nino Atzori, was the owner of the hostel where the group was staying.
A family member told AAP that Mr Atzori blamed sun glare for the accident.
"They were walking on the road and he didn't see them," said the family member, who did not want to be identified.
"He was going fairly slowly and if he had been speeding he would have killed them."
Police from the Major Collision Investigation Unit are investigating the accident.
- AAP
Six backpackers run down in Aussie accident
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