Denise Durrah was identified as the Milwaukee Department of Public Works driver who police say caused a fiery, fatal crash that took the lives of two Wisconsin residents on December 13, 2022. Durrah was also killed.
Just three years ago, she was heralded as a hero for saving people trapped in a car crash while on duty. Her Facebook page is filled with positive statements and religious expressions.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s office previously identified the other two victims as Amy Miller, of Cedarburg, and Paul Woida, of Milwaukee.
“We are still investigating the circumstances leading up to the crash however there is no indication that the crash was intentional,” Sergeant Abby L. Pavlik of the Wauwatosa Police Department told Heavy in an email.
The fatal crash occurred on the December 13, 2022, in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, when, police said in an earlier news conference, Durrah’s DPW truck slammed into the vehicles carrying the other victims and more. Ten vehicles were involved in the crash near a popular shopping mall.
The medical examiner’s report can be seen here. Be forewarned that some of the details in it are graphic.
“The driver of a City of Milwaukee DPW flatbed truck was travelling southbound on N. Mayfair Road today at a speed of 60-70 mph. The posted speed limit in this area was 40 mph,” the medical examiner’s investigation report says.
“The DPW truck approached traffic that was stopped for a red light that was facing southbound, and made no attempt to slow down or stop. The DPW truck struck 10 vehicles, four of which were completely destroyed. Bystanders reported that the driver of the DPW truck was still responsive when they tried to pull her out, but they were unsuccessful before it was engulfed in flames.”
Durrah was remembered by friends and loved ones for her religious faith and work in ministry.
Here’s what you need to know:
A Family Spokeswoman Says Durrah Likely Had a ‘Medical Emergency’
Estelle Cockcroft, a family spokeswoman, told Fox 6 that Durrah had prior medical issues but she did not name them.
“We do know the fact that nothing else would have caused her to do that but a medical emergency,” Cockroft said to Fox 6.
We know, the Denise that we know – no drugs, no alcohol. Just Denise,” said Cockroft to the television station. “A medical emergency, and unfortunately, not only did we lose somebody, other families were impacted.”
The city said in a news release that she had a valid driver’s license. She was part of a pothole filling crew.
Durrah Was Once Featured in an Employee Spotlight for Helping Save People Trapped After a Car Crash
A 2019 newsletter from the City of Milwaukee said that Durrah was a parking enforcement officer then. Her “quick thinking and action after witnessing car crash went above and beyond the call of duty,” it says.
She was servicing a property complaint when she heard an explosion and saw a crash. She rushed to the vehicle and entered the “driver’s side window on her knees and began to verbally communicate with the driver.”
Durrah and bystanders worked to remove a child from the vehicle. She used a knife from a tool box to help extricate the people from the car, suffering cuts from broken glass.
Durrah “explained that she is a nurse/caregiver by nature and that her reaction was instinctive.” The newsletter from the City of Milwaukee called her “a hero among us!”
Durrah Was Remembered as a ‘Sweet Lady & a Sweet Spirit’ Who Was Supportive of Others in Church
A family member wrote on Facebook: “I f&$ked up and didn’t take the opportunity to see you when I could 😭. Now I’ll never be able to hear you call me your baby again! Never be able to see your big smile again! Never be able to be in the presence of your unmatched energy again! RIH Auntie Denise Hollywood and I’ll continue to pray for the Durrah family 🙏🏽. #yourpersonalitywaseverything.”
A woman wrote on Facebook:
Wow!!! Denise Durrah I’m not big on names at our church, I was wondering who she was…It’s crazy a few Sundays ago she came and stood by me in the back and spoke a good word over my life. I didn’t know her name but I’ll never forget her face or her words. Sweet Lady and a sweet spirit. That same Sunday she ended up by me later on in the service and it was a joy to have her as my partner in praise. Praying for her Family and our GNB FAMILY
On her Facebook page, Durrah wrote, “I am a God-fearing, faith fulfilling, humble seeker, WOG that work for the City of Milwaukee.” Her page says she went to Rufus King High School in Milwaukee and worked in “sanitation.”
An old LinkedIn page said she previously ran a cleaning company and worked in administrative support.
Wauwatosa Police confirm that three people have died in this crash, and one of the vehicles involved is a Department of Public Works truck.
An officer at the scene told FOX6 News that a DPW truck is at fault.
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It’s not yet clear what caused Durrah to crash into the other vehicles and whether she suffered a medical emergency or the crash was intentional. Karen Domagalski, spokeswoman for the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner, told Heavy on December 15, 2022, that Durrah’s cause of death and those circumstances are under review.
There was an open case against Denise Durrah in online court records for public assistance liens. The court records list a judgment order on December 13, 2022, the day of the fatal crash. The Milwaukee address in court records for that judgment matches the address for Denise Durrah, 64, in the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s report emailed to Heavy. The court records say the case is “Department of Children & Families vs. Denise Durrah,” with the “creditor” being listed as the department. The judgment in the case was in May 2022.
The only other entry for Durrah in Wisconsin court records was a 2014 eviction in which she was the plaintiff.
Federal court records in Wisconsin list a 1994 bankruptcy filing for a Denise Durrah. In 2004, Denise Durrah is listed as a plaintiff in a federal lawsuit against a Milwaukee car dealer, alleging truth in lending violations over a car purchase. See the Denise Durrah car lawsuit here.
The Wauwatosa Police Chief Says the DPW Truck Crashed Into Cars Stopped in Traffic
According to Wauwatosa Police Chief James MacGillis, the fatal crash occurred when the DPW truck slammed into vehicles that were stopped in traffic. The two surviving victims were not named; two other people were taken to the hospital, but their conditions are not clear, the chief said in a news conference.
The heavy DPW truck “collided with several vehicles which were stopped in traffic,” said the chief, who added that the three deceased victims were all adults. He said that 10 vehicles were involved in the crash.
“Our hearts go out to the families of the deceased, the injured and those who witnessed this horrific crash today,” the chief said.
WISN-TV journalist Nick Bohr tweeted that the victim vehicles were at a stoplight and the DPW vehicle was traveling between 50 and 80 miles per hour when it crashed into them, per witness accounts. MacGillis was asked about the speed, and he declined to comment, saying it was under investigation. He also would not comment on whether the driver of the DPW truck had a medical emergency.
According to the police chief, there were two accidents in short order involving the DPW truck near Mayfair Mall, a busy shopping mall located in Wauwatosa, which is a suburban city adjacent to the City of Milwaukee.
Scene is still very much active at the corner of Wisconsin and Mayfair in Wauwatosa @620wtmj
First, the DPW vehicle was involved in a minor crash at Mayfair and Watertown Plank Roads, a short distance from the scene of the fatal crash at North Mayfair Road and West Wisconsin Avenue, he said.
The 911 calls began flooding the Wauwatosa Police Department around 12:05 p.m. on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, he said, first reporting the minor crash and then reporting the major one, in which vehicles burst into flames.
A viewer shared with TMJ4 News these photos of the fiery crash on Mayfair Road in Tosa. We just learned it is a deadly crash. Details: t.co/PrtFLx6Ft1
He said that the DPW truck drove away from the scene of the first crash, and that bystanders gave aid to victims in the second crash.
Miller Was a Married Mother; Woida Was a Widower
FacebookAmy Miller of Cedarburg and Paul Woida of Milwaukee died in the Wauwatosa crash.
Miller was a married mother remembered as a “kind soul.” Woida was an 85-year-old widower from Milwaukee. Miller was 40. Woida was 85, according to a medical examiner’s report emailed to Heavy by that office.
Of Amy Miller, a friend wrote on Facebook, “My heart hurts so much hearing about the passing of Amy Miller. She was a such a kind soul and her son Sawyer would always bring the smiles during basketball! I pray the Millers find peace in these trying times!!”
Two others were injured but their conditions were not known. The cause of the crash is not clear.
Amy L. Miller was from Cedarburg. “She was the driver and sole occupant of a grey 2019 GMC Yukon XL,” according to the police report.
A friend wrote on Facebook, “Such a great family I’ve gotten to know through Wildcats Camp. Such a tragic and unexpected loss. Praying hard for God to comfort them.” Her Facebook page shows that she was married with three kids.
“It was not known if any restraints were used in the vehicle, or if the airbags deployed given the extent of fire damage to the vehicle. Amy was transported to Froedtert Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 1236 hours.”
Woida “was the driver and sole occupant of a vehicle that was struck in the midst of an accident caused by a City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works truck. He died on scene despite resuscitative efforts,” the report said.
When Woida was initially extracted from his vehicle, he was breathing with a strong central pulse, but he soon stopped breathing. “PM McGuire stated Paul was removed from a midsized SUV, possibly a Toyota. There were three other civilian vehicles and a Department of Public Works (DPW) truck involved in this accident. All of the vehicles caught fire, but Paul was removed from his vehicle before the fires started. He was not burned,” the report stated.
Woida was from Milwaukee, according to the report, which added “He was the driver and sole occupant of a grey 2014 Toyota Rav 4… He was belted and airbags were deployed when a bystander removed him from his vehicle prior to EMS arrival.”
Woida was widowed with a son living in Indiana. His wife died in 2016. She was a dental assistant and the longtime Secretary/Treasurer of the Milwaukee Ileostomy and Colostomy Association (MICA), according to her obituary.
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