After being deliberately hit by driver, Longueuil woman turning her life around

A woman who was seriously injured after she was deliberately hit by a driver’s car Longueuil is starting to turn her life around in a big way.

For more than a year, Caroline Derome had nowhere to live and was living in a tent at the time she was hit. Now, she has a roof over her head and a new lease on life. But it hasn’t come easy.

On May 27, a man drove his truck into a tent on the side of the road because he didn’t want a homeless encampment in his neighbourhood. He was later sentenced to 21 months.

Derome was rushed into surgery and thrust into the media spotlight.

Derome says that she feels privileged because she was noticed and got the help she needed from the local health authority and community workers.

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She is educated and worked as an accountant. Her downfall was triggered by depression. She knows what it’s like to fall between the cracks in society and has now become a mentor and advocate for others who are struggling.

She admits that living on the street feeds into mental illness. Because she has lived the experience and is comfortable talking about it, Derome has been asked to work with several organizations fighting homelessness, including the Table Itinérance Rive-Sud in Longueuil.

Derome hopes that sharing her story will help change people’s opinions about those experiencing homelessness.

She still has a metal plate in her foot and scars on her leg, and feels anxious when vehicles drive too close to her.

She’s getting help now and doing better, step by step. She’s changing her life and has even reconnected with family. In the new year, her plans are to go back to school and specialize in social work.

Derome now wants others to understand that homelessness doesn’t have to be permanent.