A 54-year-old woman who collapsed and was clinically dead for a brief period in a supermarket car park in Auckland, New Zealand, still received a parking fine for leaving her car there while she was resuscitated.
The incident occurred on July 26 at the New World supermarket in Orewa, Auckland. Shoppers rushed to help, with one onlooker performing chest compressions after the woman's pulse could not be found. Her father said paramedics later told them her heart had stopped, and she was 'technically dead' momentarily.
Fine Issued Despite Medical Emergency
Within days of her recovery, the woman received a penalty charge of $80 (£35) from Smart Compliance Management for exceeding the 90-minute parking limit. Her car had remained in the lot for 341 minutes, nearly six hours, as she was taken to North Shore Hospital.
The penalty notice stated: 'Customers are entitled to 90 minutes of parking. Your vehicle was parked for 341 minutes.' The family appealed, but the company initially declined to withdraw the fine, only reducing it to $30 (£13) in light of the circumstances.
Family Outrage and Apologies
Speaking to Stuff, the woman's father expressed outrage at the 'offensive' penalty. Staff at New World later paid the reduced amount into the woman's account to cover it.
Steve McClean, owner-operator of the supermarket, told the outlet: 'This was a deeply distressing situation for the customer and their family, and I'm sorry this caused them additional stress and inconvenience.'
A spokesperson for Smart Compliance apologized for the 'additional stress caused to this individual following their medical emergency,' adding that their initial response did not 'appropriately take into account the circumstances of the case.'
