Man who panicked and was in pain from a heart attack has been fined £100 after driving himself to hospital

Clive Lucy, 56, rushed to A&E with a cardiac arrest but was fired for £100 after parking in the wrong place while desperately seeking medical help

An insensitive parking garage refused to write off a ticket given to a man who was forced to drive himself to the hospital after suffering a heart attack.

Clive Lucy, 56, was slapped at Northampton General Hospital and fined £100.

He was fined after stopping at an emergency adviser’s bay as he rushed to be seen, and at first they wouldn’t budge.

Focused on urgent medical care, he didn’t realize his mistake after the father started suffering from chest pains.

Although he has a disability card, it was a place for those with blue cards – and the letter soon came in the mail.

His daughter Tazmin Lucy says the best they could do was have his fine reduced to £40 before those responsible finally “agreed” that the signage in the bay wasn’t clear enough.

she said The sun : “My father had a heart attack, which is very worrying anyway, and he went to the hospital himself.

“Obviously he wasn’t paying attention and was trying to get to the hospital as quickly as possible – we now know he parked in the consultant’s car park and that’s wrong, but he did it in panic and pain.

“He initially paid for it because he wanted it to be over and they reduced it to £40.”

GroupNexus, who help manage on-site parking on behalf of Northampton General Hospital, eventually revoked the ticket.

A spokesman told the publication: “We are back now and have reviewed the case and agreed to cancel the PCN in question.

“However, as I’m sure you know, parking in ambulance bays can endanger a lot of lives, so it’s not usually viewed with much leniency.

“In this case it was a serious issue and we are all pleased that the motorist in question received the medical attention he needed and made a speedy recovery.”

A spokeswoman for Northampton General Hospitals Trust added: “We would like to apologize for the inconvenience caused to Mr Lucy and thank him for bringing this matter to our attention.

“Following a review of the signage in the bay, intended only for emergency advisers, improvements are being made to ensure the bay is signposted more clearly.

“We will also reimburse him for Mr Lucy’s fine.”