Journey Of Cathy Liu

I found the two-part Sacramento Bee series of articles on new M.D. Cathy Liu, and her effort to recover from brain damage after being struck by a car last July 6th, very sad, not just because of the terrible nature of the accident, but because it's all local-neighborhood stuff.

The apartment house where she was living is one block from my house. The location where she was struck, on Freeport Blvd. near Taylor's Market, is four blocks from my house. Her last memory before being struck, of the Cal Expo 4th of July fireworks extravaganza, is the same one I attended with Ira, Marcy, and family.

That stretch of Freeport Blvd. has always terrified me at some dark, primal level. The street is hemmed in by large trees, but traffic nevertheless moves very quickly on the one-way segment. Poor lighting, and the sudden bend where the street joins 21st St., complicates visibility, and adds to the unease.

Crossing Freeport near Taylor's Market is like crossing the business end of a bowling lane during a tournament. And that's even without complicating factors, like this Ipod Liu was wearing while she jogged, her newness to the neighborhood, and poor visibility in the early-morning gloam.

I sincerely hope the traffic-calming construction underway now will mitigate the danger there, by eventually converting the one-way street into a two-way street, and slowing the traffic down.

And I hope Cathy Liu is able to make the best recovery she can.