Community members and advocates for the unhoused on Montreal’s south shore are reacting to an incident in Brossard last week that almost killed a woman living on the street.
Caroline Derome, who lived in an encampment on Allard Street in Brossard, was allegedly struck by a motorist deliberately on Tuesday, May 27th.
The driver, Luigi Fragomele, was arrested and faces four charges, including assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm, dangerous driving and fleeing the scene of an accident.
“My leg is broken,” she told Global News, pointing to her right leg in a cast between the knee and ankle. “I have a surgery already and everything went well, so I hope that it will continue that way and that it will heal properly and quickly.”
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
On Tuesday, housing rights advocates held a protest near the scene of the incident to denounce the alleged attack.
“This is terrible,” stated Johanne Nasstrom of TROC Montérégie. ‘This is actually something we don’t want to see in our country.”
Others stress that what happened to Derome is a direct consequence of inaction on the bigger issue — lack of affordable housing, leading to encampments.
Derome has been without a home for a year agrees, and says she can’t find anything that she can afford.
“I have children living in Montreal,” she said, fighting back tears, “so, this is the hardest part. I wish that I could go back to Montreal, but it’s impossible.”
It’s because rent increases are so steep, she explained.
Derome is living with her brother while she heals, but hopes to find her own place before long.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.