ST CHARLES, Mo. — A paramedic for Christian Northeast Emergency Medical Services who had just been named Paramedic of the Year by her squad last week died early Tuesday morning following an accident at a Club Fitness in St. Charles.
Another person working out at the gym discovered the body of 23-year-old Dolores “Dolo” Boschert pinned underneath some weight equipment and called police at 2:50 a.m., according to St. Charles Police.
She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to St. Charles Police Capt. Ray Floyd.
It happened near a Smith machine, which allows users to squat or do bench presses, Floyd said.
“We believe she either lost her balance or a muscle gave out and she fell forward and the weights she was using pinned her to the floor,” Floyd said. “We believe she probably died from asphyxiation.
“She was all by herself, there was no one else in the gym. It took about 20 minutes before the next person came in the gym. There are no signs of foul play, we conducted a thorough investigation and we are confident it was an unfortunate accident.”
She graduated from the St. Louis Fire Academy in 2021.
She worked as a paramedic for Christian Hospital Emergency Medical Services since November 2020, according to Chief Brian Hokamp.
“She was one of those people who had positive energy, when she walked in a room you knew she was there because she could make anybody no matter what mood they were in,” he said. “She wanted to take care of the community.”
She drew a smiley face next to her name on a Dry Erase board at her station where she signed in for her last shift.
Her peers voted her as Paramedic of the Year during EMS Week earlier this month, Hokamp said.
“She was ecstatic when she found out,” Hokamp said. “She had just got plate of food and got a call, she was jumping up and down like it was Christmas Day.
“She loved interacting with the community, and providing a resource that’s so desperately needed in this community. She was very proud of the service we provided and the care we provided to people in their darkest hour. This has been a difficult day.”
Boschert was an organ donor. A group of ambulances, fire trucks and police cars escorted her remains from the Mid America Transplant Services building to the St. Louis County Medical Examiner’s Office in Berkeley Tuesday night.
Club Fitness emailed the following statement to 5 On Your Side Wednesday morning.
"In the early morning hours of May 24, the Club Fitness community suffered the loss of a member at our St. Charles 5th street location. Our deepest and most sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of the member. As an organization dedicated to improving lives through fitness, we strive to ensure the health and safety of our members and to assure a positive experience at every Club Fitness facility. We are continuing to work with local authorities to investigate this incident."