Pocket Life
By Corky Mau
January 2026
Cross To Bear
Youngster works to make streets safer
Eric Norem was 11 when he was struck by a speeding car on Riverside Boulevard at Lelandhaven Way in November 2022.
Eric and adult family friend Sandy Louey were walking in the crosswalk. Instead of dinner at Banzai Sushi, they ended up at UC Davis Medical Center.
Now Eric wants Pocket Greenhaven residents, community groups and city officials to make the Lelandhaven crosswalk safer.
Eric and Sandy can’t remember details about the accident. “The only thing I remember is looking both ways before stepping into the crosswalk and waking up in the hospital,” Eric says.
He had a concussion, brain bleed, fractured fibula and facial abrasions. Six weeks of intensive physical therapy followed his hospital stay. He couldn’t participate in PE or helmet sports for a year.
Sandy was closer to the speeding car and took the brunt of the impact. She needed extensive surgery and rehabilitation to repair broken bones. She says, “I’m grateful to be alive. I’m now embracing a life filled with possibility and purpose.”
The quest for safety gives Eric new purpose in his young life.
“When I was in the eighth grade, we had to do a community service project,” he says. “Pedestrian road safety is deeply personal to me. My project centered on convincing the city to install a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon at the crosswalk where I was hurt.”
Eric started a signature drive, collecting names at the Elks Lodge Farmers Market. He put his petition online.
His parents, Chris Norem and Pamela Wu, hope to meet Pocket City Councilmember Rick Jennings and the city’s Transportation Safety Team to discuss options.
“Public safety is my No. 1 priority. I want to make sure everyone, and especially Eric Norem’s family, feel they can walk and cross our district streets safely,” Jennings says.
In 2017, the City Council pledged to eliminate all traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2027 with a program called “Vision Zero.” Yet devastating outcomes persist on local streets.
Under pressure to act on its “Vision Zero” pledge, the Department of Public Works recently established a “quick-build” program.
City traffic engineer Megan Carter heads up the program and envisions at least five small-scale street safety projects for every council district each year. Quick-build projects are installed fast and are low-cost and often temporary, allowing traffic engineers to test improvements before making permanent changes.
Crosswalk solutions include installing high-visibility crosswalks, flashing lights and radar speed signs. Quick-build projects near Crocker Riverside Elementary and Sutterville Road and Mead Avenue were recently completed.
The crosswalk where Eric and Sandy were hit spans four lanes and is outside Greenhaven Place, a senior living community.
“Something must be done to slow down traffic and make that crosswalk more visible for drivers, especially after the sun goes down,” Eric says.
To support, visit Eric’s petition link at change.org/p/help-make-riverside-boulevard-safer.
BIRDS OF PREY
Enjoy an interactive afternoon with owls, hawks and falcons. Join the staff of Hawks, Honkers & Hoots at Robbie Waters Library on Saturday, Jan. 17, from 3–4:30 p.m. A discovery table will be set up for guests to touch wings, feathers and talons.
Corky Mau can be reached at corky.sue50@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
