Woman collapsed, was resuscitated – and received a parking fine for staying too long

A 54-year-old woman from the Auckland area in New Zealand collapsed in the parking lot of a "New World" supermarket in Orewa. According to her father, her heart stopped beating until she was resuscitated with chest compressions. While she was being evacuated by ambulance to the hospital, her car remained in the parking lot for about five and a half hours—well beyond the site's 90-minute limit. A few days after the medical emergency, she received a payment demand of $80 for exceeding the parking time.

The incident began when the woman collapsed. Her father, Keith Wilkinson, said that staff at the site rushed to help and set up screens for privacy, but the person who took charge of the treatment was a stranger who happened to be nearby. After failing to find a pulse, the woman immediately began performing chest compressions.

"The stranger just disappeared after my daughter's pulse returned and the St. John ambulance arrived, before anyone had a chance to thank her," said Wilkinson, describing her actions as "truly extraordinary."

Paramedics told the family that his daughter's heart had stopped and that "for a moment, she was technically dead." After her pulse returned, she was taken to North Shore Hospital, leaving her car in the supermarket parking lot for approximately five and a half hours.

The parking management system recorded that the car remained in the spot for 341 minutes. A few days later, the woman received an $80 fine from "Smart Compliance Management." The family explained the circumstances, but the company initially refused to cancel the fine, only agreeing to reduce it to $30 as a handling fee.

The woman's father described the demand as "offensive," especially given their long-standing loyalty to the supermarket. To avoid further stress, his daughter paid the $30. However, the staff at "New World Orewa" intervened, reimbursing the woman and demanding that the parking company cancel the fine and return the payment.

Steve McLean, the owner and operator of the supermarket, stated that as soon as they became aware of the circumstances, they appealed to the parking company.

"This was a very difficult situation for the customer and her family, and I am sorry that this caused them additional stress and inconvenience," he said.

Following the supermarket's intervention, the parking company retracted its stance and apologized. A spokesperson for Smart Compliance admitted that their initial response did not "adequately take into account the circumstances of the case." The company added that procedures have since been sharpened to ensure more consistent decision-making in exceptional cases. McLean concluded, "It is important that parking rules are enforced fairly and logically. I am glad that in the end, the right thing was done."