A California woman was left in shock after receiving a four-figure parking ticket for a 45-minute stay in a hospital parking lot.
Cate Daniels was left with a staggering $7,829 parking fee following the brief visit at Glendale Memorial Hospital parking garage in Los Angeles County on Friday.
Daniels told CBS News that when she saw her ticket, it said she had been parked there for more than three years.
The picture of the receipt claims she entered the parking lot in the year 2022.
Daniels claims a parking attendant accused her of knowingly leaving her vehicle in the lot for weeks.
However she claims she was told by parking attendants that ‘this happens sometimes’.
‘How can, when people are receiving healthcare, something like this happen with any frequency?’ she told the outlet.
‘That is appalling. That’s my concern. That this is something that is systematic. I don’t hear any inclination to correct it.’
A brief hospital visit left Cate Daniels with a $7,829 parking fee after spending just 45-minutes at a hospital parking garage in Los Angeles County on Friday
The picture of the receipt claims she entered the parking lot in the year 2022. Daniels claims a parking attendant accused her of knowingly leaving her vehicle in the lot for weeks
The garage is operated by Parking Company of America, which blamed the enormous charge on a computer glitch.
In a statement, the company admitted the fee, ‘should not have happened’ and said the issue is being resolved.
The company said they are in the process of refunding the charge.
In May, a new law in California began blindsiding drivers with steep fines for seemingly minor parking violations.
The state-wide law, Assembly Bill 413, which went into effect March 1, bans parking within 20 feet of any crosswalk – marked or unmarked – to improve pedestrian visibility.
But, many curbs aren’t painted red up to the full 20 feet, creating confusion and costly tickets of nearly $120 for unsuspecting drivers.
The rules are so unclear that authorities in San Francisco said they would not fine drivers in violation.
Meanwhile, officials in San Diego have written thousands of tickets to motorists.
In a statement, the company admitted the fee ‘should not have happened’ and said the issue is being resolved. Daniels was parked up for a visit at Glendale Memorial Hospital
‘It’s all about pedestrian safety,’ Erin Longen, Parking Enforcement Supervisor with the San Diego Police Department, told Fox 5 at the time.
‘It’s basically that no one can park within 20 feet of an unmarked or marked crosswalk on the approach side of the crosswalk.’
To raise awareness ahead of its enforcement, the SDPD began public outreach and issued warnings starting January 1.
‘We handed out 1,500 warnings for two months – it was a little blue slip we would leave on cars we saw in violation,’ Longen said. ‘This helped get the word out ahead of the ticketing and enforcement.’
Share or comment on this article:
Woman left stunned after receiving four-figure parking ticket for 45 minute stay in hospital parking lot