Woman, 73, killed inside home after minivan crashed into it, police say

Authorities say an elderly woman is dead after a van crashed into the front of a south Windsor home around 3 p.m. Sunday, and out the back.

The 73-year-old was one of three people in the Riviera Drive house, near Skyline Drive, at the time. She was taken to hospital and later died. 

Peter Polak is the victim's grandson and lives in the house.

He was out studying at the university when his grandmother, Rose, was struck and later died.

"What my dad told me was there is someone that came speeding down our street, and they hit the little lip on where our pole is back there, and went straight through our front window of our living room, knocking … my grandma and my mom into the backyard," said Polak.

He says his mother suffered minor injuries and has already been released from hospital.

"It's just an absolute shocking event. I just went to go study for my exams tomorrow and came back to a crime scene."

Julia Polak, who also lives in the house, says it's "crazy" and "unbelievable" to grasp what happened to their grandmother.

She says the family has had a sign on their front lawn for some time now, asking drivers to slow down.

"There's a lot of little kids who play on our street constantly," she said, adding speed limits should be changed so similar incidents don't happen in residential neighbourhoods.

Peter Polak says drivers along that stretch often try and "take the bend with authority."

"And I don't know if these people are trying to do the same, but they were definitely going faster than the speed limit."

According to police, the person driving the van wasn't hurt — and the passenger didn't sustain serious injuries.

There was no indication in a Monday morning news release by police whether charges were expected in relation to the incident.

Police are asking if anyone in the area has video footage or may have witnessed the collision to come forward.