Tiana Carruthers, 25, still sometimes thinks “it's all a dream” after coming face to face with the Uber driver accused of a shooting rampage in Michigan this year that left six people dead and her and another victim wounded.
"I wake up thinking it's all a dream. But when I wake up, reality hits," Carruthers told ABC News' Alex Perez.
Kalamazoo Uber Shooting Rampage Survivor Speaks OutCarruthers' reality was stark. She would spend weeks fighting for her life in February after being shot four times outside her apartment complex -- one piercing her liver -- by alleged shooter Jason Dalton, 45, near Kalamazoo, Michigan.
As the gunman open fired, Carruthers yelled out to her 7-year old daughter and other children playing nearby to get to safety.
"Something just told me, to tell children to run," Carruthers recalled. "And you know just being a parent, you just go off those instincts."
The children escaped unharmed.
Carruthers spent the past eight weeks in extensive rehab, but is now back home. "It's a struggle," she said.
Despite her continued journey to full recovery, she takes pride in knowing her survival has made her stronger.
"I didn't think I could get any stronger," Carruthers said, laughing gently.
"But God has really been here for me.”
Dalton is charged with six counts of murder. Police said he does not have a history of mental health issues. He has yet to enter a plea.