Woman sues over $300 ticket for parking in handicapped spot

The Salem News ^ | 6/4/10 | The Salem News

[Dayman]

DANVERS — A Lynnfield woman who was slapped with a $300 ticket for parking her Mercedes in a handicapped space outside BJ's Wholesale Club last March is taking the town of Danvers to court.

In her complaint, Eberle called her use of a handicapped spot "unavoidable," then cited "physical disability and weather conditions."

It was raining that day.

[FourPeas]

(as well as be a jerk). Not gonna happen, bro'.

Thank you. As expected, you have a much more ethical character than do my Obama-voter in-laws who see a Handicapped license plate as carte blanche.

[boomop1]

I was sitting on bench outside of a Food Lion when a girl with a car load of people parked in the fire lane. I told her I was the fire lane inspector and she would have to move, I got up to to write her plate down when she got in the car drove to the handicap parking (she had a sticker. She walked by and I said thank you she called me every name in the book, I asked her if her mother knew she talked like that, she went in the store carrying on like a loon. I just chuckled, oh she was of the privileged class.

[SandyLynn]

The symbol is of someone in a wheelchair, if you don’t need one you shouldn’t be parking there.

Excuse me..but my father suffered from polio at the young age of 3, and has a limp and other problems from that. He has not let himself be put in a wheelchair..he does EVERYTHING he can to remain walking..but he does park in handicap spots, because distance is tough for him. Watch what you say before you lump everyone into one category..not fair.

[Tainan]

I had a suspicion that this was the case:

Eberle, whose husband is an attorney, filed the court complaint on her own, representing herself.

(Her husband's law license was recently suspended for four months over two shoplifting cases, according to an order from the Supreme Judicial Court in December).

Self-righteous sense of entitlement.
I'm also betting that they are Democrats.

[MozarkDawg]

Understand that some handicapped people have good and bad days. On a good day they may wish to leave the handicapped space open for someone who is less mobile. Some of them are courteous that way.

Thank you, not just for knowing this but writing it for those who may not realize or understand. I have been disabled for more than twenty years, I can no longer drive myself anywhere, but when I did, yes indeedy, there were good days and bad days. The good ones I chose to leave the designated spot available for someone else who needed those few feet more than I did, hoping that the same would occur for me the days when really, not having to walk, tote the packages those extra steps made the all the difference.

I do understand the criticism, fairness, parity, "Why should they get ...?" and the like. I have never considered the spaces *my right* or such; I can only tell you that I would give up the special privilege in a heartbeat if I could only have full use of my legs, the strength returned to my spinal cord again. I'd much rather the chore of walking through the parking lot than the lot I'm stuck with.

Thanks again.

[OCCASparky]

Fine—drop the fine for parking in the handicapped spot, and fine her $1000 for being a thoughtless lazy beyotch.

[MozarkDawg]

Why is it that handicapped marked vehicles are not ticketed when they choose to park in choice spaces and leave the handicapped spaces open?

There are only so many spots, sometimes you get to the lot and all the designated spaces are taken (not always by a placard/tagged vehicle) and so the only space we can use is an unmarked one. Would you rather we parked across the street in another lot?

[Doc Savage]

Holy Crapazola!

[magslinger]

I would like to know whar requirements the city has on number of handicap spaces outside the store. There is a grocery store near here that has all of the closest spaces to the doors marked as handicap. They run six deep and are usually mostly vacant.

I am all for handicap parking spaces. I thought the handicap parking space sign in front of an Army PX that read "If you aren't handicapped when you park here, you will be when you leave" was the coolest thing ever! Government mandates are a different thing entirely. Governments do stupid things and she may have a point if the spaces allotted for handicapped parking far exceeds demand.

[Wolfie]

Between the handicapped spaces (no problem there), expectant mothers’ spaces (pushing it) and employee of the month spaces (ridiculous), I don’t even bother trying to get close.

[Onelifetogive]

2) Park in a 'regular' space, and generate stupid comments from ignorant morons who like to vent their spleens on pseudonymous internet forums.

OH COME ON! It was obviously a joke! Now what really want to see is some getting towed for parking their rear in a handicapped toilet stall without a decal!

[bwc2221]

It could be that although the person to whom the car is registered is handicapped, the person driving the car at the time is not (spouse, son, daughter, etc.) in which case they do not qualify to use a handicapped spot.

[org.whodat]

Leave the poor lady along, she may have friends working for AIG and therefor is above conservative criticism. Sac off

[Keith in Iowa]

Having a handicapped plate or hang-tag has become a status symbol. “Look at me I’m important.”

Most don’t need them and many are just fat and lazy.

The symbol is of someone in a wheelchair, if you don’t need one you shouldn’t be parking there.

Prejudice, bigotry born of total ignorance. You wouldn't be spouting this garbage if you've ever had to recover from a nearly fatal illness, and could walk for no more than 50 yards without having to rest... if you'd spent the better part of 3 months in hospital, and half of that in a coma and on a ventilator, you might begin to understand.

[meyer]

I would like to know whar requirements the city has on number of handicap spaces outside the store. There is a grocery store near here that has all of the closest spaces to the doors marked as handicap. They run six deep and are usually mostly vacant.

That's my beef. It's not that the spots exist, but they exist in quantities that FAR outnumber the proportion of handicapped drivers that exist. It probably varies from state to state. Ohio was really bad with them, Tennessee not quite as bad. Countless times, I've seen 3 or 4 cars with the handicapped stickers parked in the spots while the other 20 or 30 spots sat empty.

Then we get Florida where it seems that 50% of the drivers have the blue handicapped placard hanging from their mirror.

[Onelifetogive]

It never occurred to me it would upset someone that I parked in a regular parking space when the handicapped person isn't with me.

No one gets upset. It was a "equality under the law"-type joke.

"I can't park in your space and you can't park in mine!" Just a joke!

[FrdmLvr]

I have a gripe about the handicap parking...years ago when handicap parking was first established, there was a shopping area in my town that took the entire side of a building and made it into handicap spots - probably 15 spots. Why they did this, I don’t know. When I went there to park and shop, every spot was taken - EXCEPT for the handicap spots. The first couple were always taken and the rest would sit vacant. This happended all the time there. Complaints did no good. I finally stopped shopping there. I used to run into this problem a lot, not just this particular shopping area. I think sometimes businesses can to over do it with the handicap spots.

[MozarkDawg]

Most don’t need them and many are just fat and lazy.

The symbol is of someone in a wheelchair, if you don’t need one you shouldn’t be parking there.

I met someone just like you in the parking lot of the post office about fifteen years ago, he made a snarky complaint as I was getting out of my car, the front space right at the door, the fact that I could drive and was able to walk allowed him to assume an make an incredibly insulting remark. My answer to him was to pull my hair over the side of my head and show him the two enormous scars from brain surgery, gave him a good look at the third one that starts at the center of the back of my skull, it goes all the way down to the small of my back, he didn't get to see that part; I will refrain from repeating the reply he got.

Not every disability requires a wheelchair.

And some people demonstrate their paralysis is from the neck up.

[meyer]

Now what really want to see is some getting towed for parking their rear in a handicapped toilet stall without a decal!

I always use the handicapped stall if it's vacant. Everything is more conveniently sized. They should all be like that.

[CARTOUCHE]

If it had been a Toyota instead of a Mercedes do you think the reporter would have mentioned it? All other issues about Handicapped parking aside, this story is a class warfare piece at its heart.