Former Sudbury resident Nadia McLean is relieved an arrest has been made nearly five months after she was severely injured by a large piece of concrete thrown from an overpass onto her car.
A 14-year-old Oshawa boy, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is facing five counts of mischief endangering life and one count of aggravated assault. He is being held for a bail hearing.
The investigation was conducted by the Caledon OPP crime unit, along with the Toronto OPP and the Durham Regional Police Service.
"I guess I felt a sense of relief because they have a possible suspect," says McLean, 28, who grew up in Sudbury but now lives in Courtice, a small town near Oshawa.
"That person is not on the streets right now. It's also the beginning of closure. I still don't feel like it's over, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel."
At 2 am on Jan. 29, 2006, McLean was driving with a group of friends down Hwy. 401 when a "sinister looking" man deliberately dropped the concrete through her windshield.
The object struck her, knocked her unconscious and tore a chunk out of the right side of her face. Her younger brother, Eric, got control of the car by grabbing the emergency brake and steering it against a guardrail.
She endured five hours of reconstructive surgery to repair her face and upper palette. Pictures of her horrific injuries ran in Ontario newspapers and on television newscasts.
McLean, a teacher at Ecole Secondaire Catholique Saint-Charles in Whitby, wants to thank the police for their hard work in solving the case.
"I know that it was months of interviewing witnesses and walking the streets and knocking on doors and asking people. I think a lot of help came from the community," she says.
"I'm very pleased with the way the police didn't give up, even though things didn't necessarily look like they were going to get solved. The detective that was in charge did an awesome job."
She doesn't know very much about the suspect yet, but expects she and the other passengers in her car will have to testify in court.
While she's glad about the arrest, McLean is currently focusing most of her energy on her July 15 wedding to fiancee Gabriel Gagnon at a church near their home.
"I'm absolutely, completely floating right now. I'm just excited (about the wedding). I actually have to calm myself. I have to tell myself, 'Just relax,' because I want to scream," she says.
"This experience was trying for us (as a couple) in that it was a lot of physical obstacles, but Gabriel's been an amazing support. If anything, it reassures me that I'm marrying a great guy."
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