The family of a woman who was killed after a van crashed into the front of a Windsor home has retained legal representation as they search for answers.
Greg Monforton of Greg Monforton and Partners has been retained by the family of Ruzena 'Rose' Noniewicz.
Just before 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8, the 73-year-old grandmother was killed when a minivan struck the front of her son Peter Polak's home in the 2800 block of Riviera Drive before exiting the rear of the house.
Ruzena's daughter-in-law Amber was also seriously injured.
Investigators say the driver was not injured, and the lone passenger suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
No charges have been laid as Windsor police continue to investigate.
Monforton says they haven't spoken with the police yet, but his firm will also be launching an investigation "to uncover all facts so the family can know why this happened and how something like this can be prevented in the future."
Monforton says one would think this happened in the early morning hours involving an inexperienced driver who was perhaps under the influence.
"We don't know yet if the driver of this vehicle was under the influence of any form of intoxicant," he says. "We do know it happened at three o'clock in the afternoon on a pleasant day in which weather was not a factor. So those circumstances alone make it an extremely difficult situation."
Monforton says they want to know what happened.
"How and why did she lose control of the vehicle? Was she familiar with the area? What speed was she travelling at? Again, was she under the influence of some intoxicant? Was she suffering from some medical condition? Was there a mechanical defect with the car? There are any number of things and questions that we need answers to," he says.
Monforton calls the circumstances of what happened extremely unique.
"I mean, there could be any number of things. I don't want to speculate, but the bottom line is that we're going to be extremely careful and thorough in determining the factors that lead to this horrible tragedy," he says.
Monforton asks that any witnesses who saw or know anything about the circumstances leading to the crash come forward now, before memories fade and witnesses disappear.
Witnesses can contact his office at 519-258-6490.
Monforton notes the family has complained to municipal authorities about the speed of vehicles in the area, and the property even had a "Please SLOW DOWN" sign with a City of Windsor logo on the front lawn outside of the home.