By Alec Fernandes
A New Zealand woman suffered cardiac arrest, had no pulse, and got an $80 citation after being resuscitated. The 54-year-old collapsed in a supermarket parking lot in Orewa, north of Auckland, last month before a bystander stepped in and performed chest compressions. Paramedics then rushed her to the hospital—her heart had reportedly stopped entirely, meaning she was, for a brief period, clinically dead.
As she fought for her life, nobody thought to move her car. It sat in the lot for nearly six hours, well past the 90-minute limit. A notice arrived days later from Smart Compliance Management, the company that monitors the lot using automated license-plate recognition. Her family explained the situation and asked for the fine to be dropped. Instead, they received a form letter defending the ticket and offering a "generous" reduction to $30.
The woman paid it just to move on, but outraged staff at the supermarket ultimately reimbursed her out of their own pocket. Smart Compliance Management later apologized after admitting its response failed to account for the dire circumstances.