New Zealand parking company apologises for fining woman while she died and came back to life

A New Zealand company has apologised after issuing a parking fine to a woman while she was coming back from the dead.

The 54-year-old Auckland woman had parked her vehicle in a 90-minute bay at supermarket New World, located on the nation’s Hibuscus Coast, on July 26.

On her way into the supermarket, the woman suddenly collapsed in the carpark from a medical episode.

Her father Keith Wilkinson told local outlet Stuff that a stranger had immediately jumped in to administer chest compressions as supermarket staff worked to provide assistance.

“The stranger just melted away once my daughter had regained a pulse and St John arrived on the scene, before anyone could thank her,” he said.

Paramedics revealed to a distraught Wilkinson that his daughter’s heart had stopped and “momentarily, she was dead”.

She was raced to North Shore Hospital via ambulance — with her car remaining in the supermarket carpark for more than five hours as she received medical attention.

A few days after coming back from the dead, the woman was stunned to discover the event had led to her getting a $80 parking breach in the mail.

She reached out to Smart Compliance Management — the company behind the parking fine — and explained the unusual circumstances behind her getting the ticket to them.

Despite her explanation, the company had initially declined to waive the fine and instead reduced it to a $30 breach.

“Customers are entitled to 90 minutes of parking, and your vehicle was parked for 341 minutes,” the company told the 54-year-old.

“Having considered your appeal, we decided to uphold the Breach Notice as we believe it was correctly issued.”

Mr Wilkinson told New Zealand journalists that he found the request to pay the fine “offensive” after what his daughter went through — but said she had caved and paid as it was contributing to stress during her recovery.

Steve McClean, the owner-operator of the New World store where the incident took place, said his staff had immediately intervened when they learnt the parking company had issued the fine.