NSW Police secretly issue a parking fine against a double amputee in distress
Patrick Visner is a bilateral amputee, but in this story it is the cops who don’t have a leg to stand on after secretly slugging him with a $300 parking fine.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Patrick Visner is a double amputee, but in this story it is the cops who don’t have a leg to stand on after secretly slugging him with a $300 parking fine.
Mr Visner was penalised in November last year because his car had been moved into a no-stopping zone by his brother-in-law.
At the time, Mr Visner was experiencing a dizzy spell and his brother-in-law was trying to get the car as near as possible.
The dizzy spell occurred immediately after the pair had left a solicitor’s office at Nambucca Heads.
“He started swaying and he was very unsteady on his feet,” the solicitor, Anne Gillin, said.
She fetched a chair for Mr Visner to sit on while his brother-in-law got the car.
“I stood with him because I was very worried about him,” Ms Gillin said.
Ms Gillin, who weighs 52kg, then helped Mr Visner, who weighs more than double that, to his vehicle.
She estimated the car wouldn’t have been in the no-stopping zone for more than 60 seconds.
Ms Gillin said she did not see the police.
“I don’t even know how they had time to register the car was there,” she said.
“It’s so awful. He’s such a lovely personality — one of nature’s gentlemen.”
After leaving in the car, Mr Visner went to hospital, records show.
The parking fine was not issued in-person to Mr Visner or his brother-in-law. Rather, it was sent to Mr Visner in the mail.
He said it was the first parking fine he had ever had. He attempted to appeal, supported by a letter from Ms Gillin explaining what had happened.
But he was unsuccessful. The 65-year-old disability pensioner, who has numerous medical conditions, had planned to challenge the fine in court.
However it has now been waived after The Daily Telegraph provided the hospital records to Revenue NSW.
A police spokeswoman said: “As it has already been dealt with and the fine has been waived, we are unable to comment.”
Revenue NSW failed to respond prior to deadline.
Mr Visner said: “You did it. Thank you so much.”
His situation came to light when he commented on a recent Telegraph story about an able-bodied woman who had been fined for parking in a disabled space.
The woman, Kate Meller, was helping a friend who had gone into labour. The friend called to say her waters had broken and that she needed Ms Meller to come over urgently to look after her two-year-old so that she and her husband could go to the hospital, which had told her to come in.
After advocacy by The Telegraph, that fine was waived. But some readers said it should have stood.
Mr Visner, who has a disability parking permit, said he supported the decision to waive Ms Meller’s fine.
“It wasn’t as if she was ducking into the shops to buy cigarettes. This person was doing someone a favour,” Mr Visner said.
Been ripped off? Maybe we can help. Email john.rolfe@news.com.au
More Coverage
Originally published as NSW Police secretly issue a parking fine against a double amputee in distress
Fillies flock to party at the races
The plans of Racing NSW supremo Peter V’landys to attract a younger - and more female - crowd to the races is clearly working, with women snapping up more than half of the tickets sold so far for the Everest Carnival.
Mehajer’s mansion up for sale — no stickybeaks allowed
The former Lidcombe home of property developer and convicted fraudster Salim Mehajer is up for sale, but only pre-registered potential buyers can inspect it. Check out the pictures here.