A man who stopped to help an elderly woman with a broken hip was left facing a £155 parking fine for his good deed.
Alastair Kelly, 45, discovered the injured pensioner outside Marks and Spencer in Cowes, Isle of Wight, whilst on his lunch break to buy a sandwich.
The warehouse manager immediately went to assist the woman, who was in her 90s and partially blind, after finding her on the ground.
After calling an ambulance and waiting with the distressed pensioner for over two hours, Kelly returned to his vehicle only to find he had been issued a parking ticket.
Alastair Kelly, 45, parked outside the Marks and Spencer on the Isle of Wight
Google Maps
“I saw it and immediately went over to help as I’m first aid trained,” Kelly told the Metro.
The 999 operators specifically instructed him to remain with the injured woman while waiting for medical assistance.
“I couldn’t just say to the lady, ‘Do you mind just waiting while I go move my car?'” he said.
The ambulance took more than two hours to arrive at the scene, during which time Kelly stayed to provide assistance to the elderly woman.
A Euro Car Parks machine (file pic)
Getty
The incident occurred on June 15 when Kelly had initially parked his car to purchase lunch during his break from work.
Kelly appealed the fine to Euro Car Parks, citing their website’s provision for “extreme circumstances” which prevent drivers from returning to their vehicles.
“I thought, that’s bang on,” he said.
Despite providing call logs to prove he was giving medical assistance and had called an ambulance, the parking company rejected his appeal.
The situation worsened when the initial £50 fine increased to £155 as he hadn’t paid within the specified timeframe.
“It’s extremely unfair,” he said. “The actual event itself in dealing with [a] first aid crisis is very stressful, then to have this on top is even worse.”
Kelly has since paid the fine to avoid any impact on his credit score. He had consulted a local solicitor about challenging the penalty in court but was advised the legal costs would exceed the fine amount.
GB News has contacted Euro Car Parks for comment regarding the incident.
