The news that Quebec Provincial Police have arrested a 15-year-old boy in relation to a crash that killed a woman last week came as friends, family, officers and paramedics from across the region gathered to honour the recent paramedic grad on Saturday.
Marie Lou Dubois, 29, was on her way to work in Maniwaki when she was hit by a stolen vehicle last weekend. Police say the driver of the stolen car drifted into oncoming traffic, hit Dubois head on and then fled into the woods on foot.
The men and women she worked with were the first ones on the scene when the collision occurred on Highway 105 about 110 kilometres north of Ottawa, last Saturday morning. The youth can not be named.
The 15-year-old boy arrested in connection with Dubois' death was released on a promise to appear in court. The date has not been released. He will likely be charged with, among other things, vehicle theft and leaving the scene of a collision.
"We're sad. We've got pain, that's for sure. It's a big loss for us," said Dubois' colleague at the Outaouais Paramedic Cooperative, Marc Paquette.
"Paramedics are trained to deal with (motor vehicle collisions) but when you arrive on the scene and you see one of your colleagues or partners, it's very painful."
"She was always smiling, great to be around, she was very passionate for her work and very dedicated to being a paramedic," said Eric Gagnon of the Prescott Russell Paramedic Service.
Dubois is the 20th paramedic to die in the line of duty in Canada since 1995. Yet in her short two months of service, it's clear she made an impression.
"She was like a sister, a young girl with a lot of future in front of her, a good paramedic, sensitive, always with a big smile, a happy woman," said Paquette.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Jonathan Rotondo
