A woman was killed and a man was seriously injured after being hit by a minivan while they crossed a street in Vernon Wednesday morning, according to police.
Vernon police said they were struck just before 9:30 a.m. while crossing the road where the Rails to Trails path meets Warren Avenue and they were both flown to the hospital.
The woman later died of her injuries, police said. She has been identified as 81-year-old Anna Krocheski, of Tolland. An 83-year-old man from Tolland has serious injuries and is currently in stable condition.
The man who was driving the van that struck the pedestrians remained at the scene, police said. He was not injured and is cooperating with the investigation.
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Police say they are investigating speed as a factor.
“I heard everything. I heard the chopper, I heard the cars, the sirens,” said Samantha Hawes of Vernon. “The first thing that came to mind, as well as me and all my neighbors was somebody got hit.”
Hawes, who lives a few houses down from the crosswalk where the two people were hit, said she called around to her neighbors to make sure it wasn’t them.
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“I checked around to all the neighbors who walk, and so far, it’s nobody that I know on this road,” she said. “We’re constantly saying slow down, slow down to everybody on this road and they just -- they don’t care.”
She said in her nine years of living in the neighborhood, there have been many crashes.
“A young man, he died walking his dog down the road. Then, they put up a guardrail on the corner here cause there was an accident. My minivan got taken out and totaled by a drunk driver,” she explained. “My sign that we put up, [that says] ‘slow down, kids playing’ got hit.”
People who ride the rail trail agree that drivers are getting out of control.
“Cars crossing on the crosswalks are going a little too fast,” said Dawn of Vernon. “They do have lighted crosswalks which is a great benefit to those who use the trail, but it’s just unfortunate that it’s just…people are in too much of a hurry.”
She said the trail can use more flashing crosswalks. The spot where the man and woman were hit does not have any.
“It’s terrible. I’m devastated. People out trying to be healthy and have a good time. It’s devastating,” Dawn added. ““They need more of these lighted crosswalks. When you press the button, people respect that, but it’s unfortunate that -- it’s the law to stop at any crosswalk and most people don’t.”
