One person has died and two are in the hospital after the car in which they were riding slammed into a tree in South Windsor early Sunday morning.
Homeowners on Hillside Drive were awakened around 2 a.m. when the car smashed into a tree in their front yard, according to emergency officials.
One of the residents, a South Windsor volunteer firefighter, ran outside and called 911.
"Fortunately for us, the gentleman in the house is a volunteer firefighter with South Windsor so he was able to give us a very accurate on scene report and that gave us a lot of valuable information on our way here," said John Hoffman with the South Windsor Fire Department.
Due to the extensive damage to the car, it took the fire department nearly 40 minutes to get all three occupants of the car out and transported to the hospital.
LifeStar was called to the scene but couldn't fly due to foggy condiitons, authorities said.
Police said one of the passengers has died. The driver and second passenger are being treated at the hospital and are in unknown condition.
"The driver was talking," said witness Pat Plummer, who lives nearby. "The guy in the backseat was ok. I mean, I say ok, but the only one I didn't see was the passenger in the front. They had to cut him out and all that stuff."
The victims have not been identified, but emergency responders said all three are over the age of 18.
The cause of the accident is under investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to contact South Windsor Police Agent Halibozek at 860-644-2551.
