Tyler, TX Woman Shames Driver Wrongly Parked in Handicapped Spot

We see it more often than we should: Some East Texas drivers continue to park in spots specifically set aside for disabled persons in need of closer parking.

And although most of the time, many of us either don't have the time or inclination to confront the drivers inappropriately parked in these handicapped parking spots, for one Tyler, Texas woman, it was a point she wanted to make.

Can we blame her?

Perhaps it's a form of "able-bodied privilege." But some people just don't seem to think about what others may be going through.

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And sometimes, it's not out of spite--just a lack of empathy. It's difficult to put ourselves in another's shoes. But this is a lesson we should all be willing to learn.

Recently on a social media local group page, a Tyler woman, who revealed herself to be handicapped, shared the experience she had in the parking lot of Christus Health Rehabilitation Hospital in Tyler.

She'd noticed a Tridentcare vehicle without any kind of handicap tag or license was parked in a handicapped space. This frustrated her because it prevented her from having closer access to the hospital. Thus, she decided to take a few photos of the parked vehicle.

While she was taking photos, the driver of the vehicle came out and they had a pointed exchange:

Source: Facebook

Me: “Why did you park in a handicap spot?”
Driver: “I don’t know, I always do.”
Me: “You do know that’s illegal, right? To park in a handicap spot without a handicap tag/license”
Driver: “No I didn’t know that”
Me: “If you don’t know that, you don’t need to be licensed to drive. It is illegal and you can get a ticket for it and I’ve taken pictures and turned you in.”
Driver: Okay.

Honestly, I have to say I'm fairly impressed the young driver of the Tridentcare vehicle answered as graciously as they did. Ya never know how people are going to respond in situations like this.

The subsequent comments from Tyler residents regarding this situation were surprisingly varied. Some felt the woman was taking it all too seriously. Others felt she should've been even tougher on the driver.

Personally, I'm glad the woman confronted the driver. Though, I tend to appreciate giving people the benefit of the doubt in case they just didn't know better. And honestly, it sounds like the young driver was open to not doing this anymore. I find that encouraging.

What about you? Have you noticed people without a tag parking in handicapped spots?

And if it happens to be you who is parking illegally in a handicapped spot and making it harder on those who truly need it--do better. And be thankful that you're able to easily walk across a parking lot.

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