Woman sues over handicap parking ticket

DANVERS, Mass. -- A battle over a handicap parking spot has turned ugly between one woman and the town of Danvers.

Janice Eberle of Lynnfield was ticketed for parking her Mercedes SUV in a BJ’s handicapped spot in Danvers.

“I don’t deny that it was wrong, but under the circumstances, the torrential rains, everything, the ticket I couldn’t even read it was soaked within two seconds,” said Eberle.

According to Eberle, she ran into the store for just a few minutes and when she came out, she had been issued a $300 ticket from Danvers Police.

VIEWER VOICES: What do you think about this Danvers woman suing the town after she parked her car in the handicap spot without a pass?

“That’s the one violation that we want voluntary compliance 100 percent of the time, and a way to get that is to make sure that the fine is substantial enough to get voluntary compliance,” said Danvers Police Chief Neil Ouellette.

Eberle said that the fine is too high, and she has decided to sue the town of Danvers after the parking clerk refused to dismiss her ticket.

Although she is not technically handicapped, she said that she was disabled that day from recent shoulder surgery.

“At the time I was still in a full sling, I was still on medication and I have a huge scar,” Eberle said.

Among locals in Danvers, Eberle is not getting much sympathy.

“You got no right to park there. I don’t care what the circumstance is, she’s got a sore arm or whatever. I have a sore arm,” said one local woman on the incident.

“No, no sympathy, sorry. I’ve paid the price before for doing that too and I wasn’t proud of it at all,” said another woman.

According to Eberle, whatever happens in court, she will never make the same mistake again.

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