KIM Rorke didn’t know it but as her little girl was having an emergency operation in hospital for a cut lip she, too, was being stitched up.

Kim Rorke with daughter Verity and the $85 parking fine she unsuccessfully challenged. Picture: JOHN APPLEYARD

The Greystanes mother had already driven around The Children’s Hospital at Westmead’s crowded carpark a few times with her distraught daughter, Verity, before parking in Parramatta Park, a 15-minute walk away.

Five hours later, and unable to leave the hospital, Mrs Rorke found she had been fined $85.

Despite having a letter from a doctor explaining that her daughter had had an emergency operation, the State Debt Recovery Office would not waive the fine. Mrs Rorke’s plight highlights two problems – the dearth of parking at both The Children’s Hospital and Westmead Hospital, and the lack of grounds for parking fine appeals.

Ironically Parramatta Council has a draft parking policy designed specifically to help people such as the Rorke family by wresting control of parking fines from the State Debt Recovery Office.

If the council adopts the policy, people will be able to appeal fines before a review panel.

To do so, people will need photographs and other evidence to back up their claim of “mitigating circumstances”.

From the Advertiser’s understanding of the policy, the Rorkes’ plight would be an ideal case.

The Rorkes welcomed the council’s planned new policy, although it is too late for them.

Mr Rorke said he was astounded when his wife called to say she had been booked after spending five-and-a-half hours with their daughter. “I was at work, in Liverpool, so I was no help and there was no one else who could move the car,” Mr Rorke said.

“My wife had taken our daughter to hospital because her lip was drooping after she had cut it at preschool the previous day,” he said.

“She did not expect to be told that my daughter would need an operation.”

Mrs Rorke said the whole procedure took five-and-a-half hours and at no stage could she leave her daughter.

“A doctor wrote a letter to say we had been unavoidably held up, but State Debt Recovery would not accept that,” she said. Mr Rorke said they could have chosen to appeal the fine in court but decided it was too much bother.

“It may only be $85 but people should not have to pay fines for being treated in hospital,” he said.

The draft parking policy will be on public exhibition until Friday, November 13.