CLEVELAND — A fresh start today in Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood for a woman who thought her life was over.
Victoria Miranda Velazquez was severely injured after she was hit head-on in August 2023 by a driver being chased by Parma police.
More than a year later, she is walking again and re-opened her store, Catch That Deal, on Pearl Road.
It was a walk to her storefront that she didn’t think would happen again.
“I’ve got a little bit of a limp now, a permanent limp,” Velazquez said.
But this was a brand new day for the Old Brooklyn entrepreneur.
“Some of those days were so dark that I didn’t want to. But the neighborhood and the community just didn't give up on me,” Velazquez said.
Last September, Velazquez first met with News 5 Investigator Tara Morgan on her boyfriend’s front porch.
"Every day, I cry, every day, I feel lonely. I feel I’ll never get back to me. My happiness was stolen away from me that day,” Velazquez said back then.
The crash was on Aug. 24, 2023.
A Parma police chase ended in a head-on at Pearl and Woburn. The suspect died in the wreckage that caught fire.
Last September, Velazquez filed a civil lawsuit against the city of Parma, accusing their officers of recklessly chasing out of their jurisdiction.
“I’m not mad at anyone I’m not angry at anyone I just don’t want this to happen to anyone else,” Velazquez said.
Velazquez was on her way to her store when she was hit.
“Just riding past the accident scene to get here today is a lot,” Velazquez said.
Her regular customers patiently waited for this moment, too.
“I picked up my friends that also come here. We've been here with her probably since the beginning and we had lunch in the car waiting for her to open,” Donna Graves said.
Hugs were a must, and then came the tears.
“It’s not even the store, it's Victoria herself just to know that she’s here with us still and her dreams are still going to go on,” Graves said.
Velazquez says it took months of preparation to get her store ready to re-open.
"Any time I had a little pain free time I would come in and mess with things,” Velazquez said.
She started her business eight years ago from dumpster diving to now clearance shopping. She offers new items at thrift prices.
“Your hygiene products and toilet paper you know secret deodorant is $8 at the store you can get it for $4 here,” Velazquez said.
Velazquez knows times are tight and wants to help people out.
No longer on the porch watching others live their lives.
“Yeah I’ve come a long way and this place means everything to me,” Velazquez said.
Parma has not commented on the civil lawsuit. Previously, police said the suspect’s reckless actions were occurring before the officers pursued him.
Attorneys are still collecting what they need for their cases.
