Family of son left inside car in tow lot after crash sues City of Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE — A family is suing the City of Milwaukee after their son was left inside a car at a tow lot following a fatal crash.

The lawsuit says James Edward Stokes, Jr. was a passenger in the car involved in a crash on June 1, 2023, where the car hit a pole or tree near 9000 West Fond Du Lac Avenue. It suffered significant damage, including a shattered windshield, blown tires and more, the lawsuit says.

When police arrived on scene, the lawsuit claims that witnesses told police to check for a body in the car, but were ignored.

Instead, Milwaukee police took control and custody of the car, the lawsuit says, claiming it was evidence and contraband, since the car had been reported stolen.

The police had it towed to a city tow lot, located at 3811 West Lincoln Avenue, where it was locked up and left there.

The lawsuit claims officers and the tow lot workers failed to search the car to make sure there were no trapped occupants. In the lawsuit, the family called this an “act of shocking and deliberate indifference.”

As a result of lacking a search, the lawsuit says Stokes died a slow death, trapped inside the car for the next four days.

On June 5, 2023, the owner of the car came to get some of their belongings and noticed a foot hanging over the back seat. Upon seeing that, the owner called the police.

A Medical examiner’s report said Stokes, Jr. had advanced signs of decomposition, one of which was bloating, which the lawsuit says is consistent with being trapped in an unventilated car for days. The report also states that he had survived the initial impact of the crash.

The lawsuit is not only against the city but also against Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, manager of the city tow lot Peter Knox, and MPD officers Shate Doughty, Brett Stegerwald, Andrew Fuerte and Alex Bartoshevich.