- A family’s loss highlights long-standing infrastructure concerns:
Pamela Lawson’s children say she relied on a motorized wheelchair after being hit by a car years ago. Her death in a crash near 60th and Ames has left her family grieving while questioning whether deteriorating sidewalks played a role. - Crumbled sidewalks may have pushed wheelchair users into the street:
After seeing photos of the sidewalk conditions, Lawson’s son said it made sense his mother wasn’t using the sidewalk. Neighbors responded online, sharing similar concerns about broken, uneven walkways throughout the area. - Accountability and city responsibility come into focus:
City code requires property owners to maintain sidewalks along their properties. The damaged stretch runs past a church and a liquor store. The liquor store owner said she was unaware of the rule, while the church has not responded. Police say the case remains under investigation.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A North Omaha family is grieving the loss of a mother while raising new concerns about sidewalk safety in their neighborhood.
Twenty-two-year-old Noah Lawson says he and his four siblings are still trying to process the death of their mother, Pamela Lawson. He describes her as a free spirit and fiercely independent.
“Anger, sadness… it was most definitely an avoidable situation,” Lawson said.Lawson says his mother relied on a motorized wheelchair to get around the neighborhood—something she was forced to use after being hit by a car years ago.
Now, the crash that took her life near 60th and Ames just before midnight on December 11 is sparking renewed questions about the condition of sidewalks in North Omaha.
“They’ve been tore up since even when I was younger as a kid,” Lawson said.After learning about the crash, I went to the intersection to see the conditions for myself, finding crumbling and uneven sidewalks. I shared a photo of the sidewalk on social media, which prompted an outpouring of responses from neighbors sharing similar concerns.
After seeing the photo, Lawson said it made sense to him why his mother wasn’t using the sidewalk at the time of the crash.
“It just kinda sucks that it should not have happened, especially because of how easy it was to fix a situation like that,” he said.City code requires property owners to maintain sidewalks adjacent to their homes or businesses. The city also allows anyone to report damaged or unsafe sidewalks.
Lawson says the situation has been a painful reminder about the importance of loved ones—and accountability.
“This kind of situation just kinda reminds everybody that you don’t have your loved ones forever,” he said. “And it’s very important to be in their lives, to love on them, and take care of them.”
He hopes his mother’s death leads to change that could protect others in the community.
“As much as I don’t want it to be my mama as an example, there is so many people that could use that sidewalk,” Lawson said. “And there are so many people that could be at risk or danger if those sidewalks aren’t fixed.”The damaged stretch of sidewalk runs along two separate properties—a church and a liquor store. The liquor store owner told me she was unaware of the rules requiring property owners to maintain sidewalks. The church has not returned my phone calls.
Omaha police say the driver involved in the crash was cited for financial responsibility. The case remains under investigation.
At Ames and Taylor, I’m Melissa Wright, your North Omaha Neighborhood Reporter.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
