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Woman Crushed Under Weights Found by Gym Member The Next Morning!

It was a shocking sight that a gym patron surely did not expect to find as she arrived for her early morning workout —  a young woman dead, apparently killed when a barbell fell on her!

The woman, who has not been named, arrived in the predawn hours for her daily workout at the St. Charles’ Club Fitness, where members have access even when no staff is present. She was the only person at the facility when she arrived to find the gruesome sight. 

The accident is thought to have occurred around 2:30 a.m.

The dead woman has been identified as Dolores “Dolo” Boschert. She was a paramedic for Christian Northeast Emergency Medical Services who had just been named Paramedic of the Year by her squad last week.

“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,” police Capt. Ray Floyd told local TV station KSDK. “We believe she probably died from asphyxiation.”

Boschert had apparently been using the weightlifting equipment known as a Smith machine, which is intended to allow safe lifting without a spotter. The barbell is attached to vertical rails on a frame, allowing it to be raised and lowered for exercises including bench presses and squats; a twist of the wrists engages the bar’s hooks onto pegs on the frame keeping it supported.

Investigators believe Boschert was discovered about 20 minutes after the weighted barbell fell on her. The emergency call, at 2:50 a.m., was from a patron who had just arrived.

Boschert was a paramedic for Christian Northeast Emergency Medical Services and just last week was named Paramedic of the Year by her squad, KSDK reported.

She graduated in 2020 from Lindenwood University, in St. Charles, with a bachelor’s degree in paramedicine.

A standout swimmer while at Duchesne High School in St. Charles, she had returned to the team this past season as an assistant coach.

In accordance with her wishes, her organs were donated for transplant.

Club Fitness emailed the following statement to KSDK:

“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.”