‘They should have had a warning,’ says mother whose daughter’s car was suddenly towed after parking in the same spot for years

A GROUP of high school students were shocked after having their cars towed without warning, despite having parked them in the same places for years.

Students at Conway High School in Conway, South Carolina — about 20 miles west of Myrtle Beach — regularly parked at a shopping center across the street from the school without any problems.

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That was until March of this year when, on a random Tuesday, students walked out of school and discovered their cars were no longer where they were parked, according to the local NBC affiliate. WMBF.

In fact, the vehicles left in the Bay Village shopping center parking lot were towed by a local company.

The shopping center, owned by Bay Village LCC, is home to a large parking lot surrounded by stores, including a furniture store, a hardware store, Taco Bell and a Chinese food restaurant.

However, parking spaces should only be used by business owners and customers, according to WMBF.

Despite this, the students and their parents allege that the teens used the parking spaces for years.

“They’ve been doing this for a long time and nothing has been enforced,” Sara Browder, mother of one of the students whose car was towed, told the channel.

Browder admitted he understood the owners had the right to remove and tow the vehicles.

However, she said they were caught off guard by the ticket her daughter received when trying to get her car back.

To get the vehicle back from Associate Asset Recovery, they would have to pay a whopping $261.

“They didn’t warn us and then they paid us $261 just to get our car out of tow and that’s just ridiculous,” Browder said.

Now she is asking all students to avoid parking in the same lot.

“Do not park in this lot,” Browder said.

Judy Ross, another parent of a Conway High School student, also told WMBF that students should have been warned first.

“Students should have a sign in their cars saying if this continues, you will be towed,” Ross said.

The owner of the Bay Villages mall told the outlet that there are signs warning about vehicles being towed in the parking lot.

However, they have not enforced the rule in the past.

How to Fight a Parking Ticket

You can avoid being fined by following all published laws and regulations, but sometimes mistakes are made

Like any form of citation, parking tickets can be avoided by reading and obeying posted signage. However, when visiting a new city, or state, or in a hurry, things can be missed and mistakes can be made.

Suddenly there’s a ticket you weren’t prepared to pay for. If the ticket comes as a surprise to you, there are some things you can do to help your case when appealing a parking ticket.

• Read the ticket carefully. Look for errors such as incorrect street names, license plate numbers, vehicle make and model, time and date, etc. Errors would render the ticket invalid.
• Take pictures. The vehicle in the space, lack of signage, or other vehicles that were not cited for performing the same parking service. If the ticket involves parking too close to something like a fire hydrant, a photo showing a reasonable distance would help your case. Make sure metadata with time and date is accessible. Signs that are obstructed by trees, or on crooked posts, or that are not “obvious” are also great things to photograph.
• Make sure the statute that was violated is listed on the ticket. If it is not listed, the ticket is not valid.
• Immediately follow the appeal instructions on the ticket. All legitimate tickets will have appeal instructions. Waiting until the last moment weakens your argument and can result in late fees.
• When in court, avoid these phrases as they reduce your credibility and weaken your argument:
  • “I didn’t know the law.”
  • “I was going to move my car.”
  • “I can’t pay this ticket.”
  • “I’ve been doing this for years.”
  • “I checked with the parking officer, who said everything was fine.”
• Contact a lawyer. If you are facing obstacles and feel stuck, you may want to contact a traffic lawyer in your area. Many have free case consultations.

Source: Reader Summary

The recent decision appears to have come after police reportedly told the owner, who did not want to be identified, that if any students were injured in the parking lot, he could be held responsible.

The owner said he was unaware the cars would be towed, telling WMBF he was under the impression the towing company would only monitor the students.

Ultimately, more than a dozen cars were towed.

The decision to park in the shopping center lot does not appear to be a result of a lack of parking at the school, as school officials have stated that there are parking spaces available on campus.

10th, 11th and 12th year students everyone is allowed to apply for school parking passes, which cost about $30.

Students should have a sign in their cars saying if this continues you will be towed.

Judy Rossfather of Conway High School student

To obtain the pass, students must agree to a series of rules and regulations, including agreeing that all vehicles on campus may be subject to search.

Browder told WMBF in March that her daughter was in the process of getting a pass to avoid large fines in the future.

When asked about the parking issue by local reporters, Horry County Schools said it was a private property issue.

The county school system reportedly said it is entirely up to shopping center owners to decide whether or not they want to impose parking regulations on students.