The deputy mayor of Mount Pearl has returned to the council chambers exactly one year after suffering a life-changing accident.

Nicole Kieley was entering Shoppers Drug Mart on LeMarchant Road last May when she was struck by a vehicle that crashed through the front glass. She spent months in hospital undergoing treatment for injuries, including the amputation of her left leg.

Kieley is learning to adapt to life after the accident and is working towards a return to her role as a public servant—something she officially achieved yesterday.

While addressing her colleagues during the council meeting, she revealed that she celebrated her return to work by accomplishing another milestone.

Kieley says she started her day by taking a walk around Powers Pond for the first time since the accident.

The deputy mayor thanked everyone who has supported her over the past year.

She says she wouldn’t have been able to do it without the help of everyone from paramedics to the public. “If they were all on that walk with me today, I believe the entirety of Powers Pond would be filled.”