Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson calls for policy review after woman's hypothermia death

Alison Dirr, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·2 min read
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As questions have mounted over the hypothermia death of a South Milwaukee woman at a bus stop two weeks ago, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson on Wednesday said policies should be reviewed.

Jolene Waldref, 49, died on Jan. 15 at the bus stop on the northeast corner of North 76th and West Congress streets.

She had called 911, but the private Curtis Ambulance service crew that responded did not get out of their truck to look for her as she lay on the sidewalk feet from where they drove by.

Jolene Waldref, 49, of South Milwaukee died Jan. 15 after investigators say she slipped and fell on ice at a bus stop in Milwaukee. In subzero temperatures, she likely died of hypothermia, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner said.
Jolene Waldref, 49, of South Milwaukee died Jan. 15 after investigators say she slipped and fell on ice at a bus stop in Milwaukee. In subzero temperatures, she likely died of hypothermia, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner said.

She was later spotted by a passing driver, who stopped and called 911 again, summoning the Fire Department.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson speaks as part of the Republican National Convention fall media walkthrough at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. The convention will be held July 15-18.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson speaks as part of the Republican National Convention fall media walkthrough at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. The convention will be held July 15-18.

Asked for specific changes he'd like to see, Johnson said he was not sure what the answer is but thought policies should be reviewed in the wake of Waldref's death.

"I'm sensitive to what the experts who go out there each and every single day have said, that sometimes — whether it's a pocket dial or whether it's purposeful — it's not uncommon to get a 911 call at a bus stop and then when the bus comes in, folks get on the bus and then the service provider goes out there and no one's there."

As for whether the ambulance crew should have gotten out of their vehicle to check for her, Johnson said they followed their procedures but that the company should review their policies to determine whether any changes are warranted.

On Tuesday, Curtis Ambulance President James Baker told reporters the crew did nothing wrong and that "the EMS system here worked as designed."

Screenshot of surveillance footage from the night Jolene Waldref died.
Screenshot of surveillance footage from the night Jolene Waldref died.

He said the crew drove through the intersection twice but didn't leave their vehicle, and dispatchers called Waldref's cellphone twice but she did not pick up. Her body was later found between a large electrical box, a garbage bin of road salt and a snowbank.

The crew left the scene.

About 20 minutes after Waldref first called 911, a passing driver saw her and stopped. That person checked on her and called 911 at 5:43 p.m., according to a timeline compiled by the Journal Sentinel.

That call summoned Milwaukee Fire Department paramedics, who arrived at 5:52 p.m. but were unable to revive her.

Journal Sentinel reporter Sophie Carson contributed to this report.

Alison Dirr can be reached at adirr@jrn.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee mayor calls for policy review after death at bus stop