Woman in fear of losing second of twins given parking fine after rushing to Queen’s Hospital
Kirsty after she successfuly gave birth to baby Alice-Neve. Picture: Kirsty Tierney-Jones - Credit: Archant
A pregnant woman who rushed herself to A&E fearing she was losing the second of twin babies has been fined for parking at the hospital without a ticket.
Kirsty Tierney-Jones, 33, of Wallace Close, Hornchurch, was 38 weeks pregnant when she drove herself to Queen’s Hospital at 5am on October 18 last year after she experienced pains and bleeding following a fall at home.
She appealed to Gemini Parking Solutions, which run the hospital’s parking, on January 23 but the company refused to budge on her £75 fine and threatened legal action if she did not pay.
Kirsty had been suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, which causes nausea and vomiting, and which had already claimed the life of one twin at 14 weeks.
Hyperemesis gravidarum was suffered by the Duchess of Cambridge who was taken into hospital at the beginning of her pregnancy with Prince George.
Kirsty left her vehicle without a ticket in the maternity car park and was escorted to the hospital by an elderly couple.
After her third appeal Gemini still refused to revoke the fine.
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She said: “It’s absolutely disgusting, my child’s life was at risk and they still want to fine me. My baby could’ve died. I had already lost her sibling.
“It would have been different if it was an appointment but this was an emergency.”
Kirsty appealed that day after she was discharged but was turned down as she did not enclose supporting evidence.
She lost a stone-and-a-half throughout the pregnancy and the weakness it caused left her vulnerable to falls.
Her daughter, Alice-Neve, is now 10 weeks old.
Since the Recorder intervened, Gemini say its has cancelled the fine – but it has yet to contact Kirsty.
