unexpected cost of a hospital stay

[tulog]

Discharged from the hospital, I totalled costs for my stay for appendectomy, and infection:

$35 emergency room visit #1
$35 emergency room visit #2
$15 medications
$12 lunch for relatives at the cafe

total costs: $97

I thought not bad, under $100. I definitely received a lot of good service from a team of doctors, surgeons, anesthesiologists, radiologists, and nurses.

When I came home, I saw my car was stolen. Calling the police, it was actually towed for being in the same place for 72 hours. Here are my new costs:

police admin fees $270
tow company $507

total costs: $777

medical costs vs non-medical costs $97/777


Moral of the story: when you are in the hospital, feeling like death from some illness, and on so many narcotics that you couldn't drive if you wanted to, think about your real priority - the beauty of the streets and the importance of the municipal code - and call a young comrade, have them break the window in your car and push it down the street a bit to comply with your responsibilities.

[disneysteve]

You aren't allowed to park your car for 3 days? What's the point of that law?

I'd certainly be fighting that. You can obviously prove that you were hospitalized. You should be able to get them to drop those fines though it might require getting a lawyer friend involved.

[bjl584]

I'd fight that.

Take your medical paperwork for proof that you were in the hospital and plead your case to the judge at traffic court.

[tulog]

I'm filling out a form called 'Request for Review of Towed Vehicle'. I'll submit it with an explanation and documentation of my hospitalization.

[tulog]

You aren't allowed to park your car for 3 days? What's the point of that law?

I see it as state law that enables localities to collect revenue.


California Vehicle Code

22651 (k) When a vehicle is parked or left standing upon a highway for 72 or more consecutive hours in violation of a local ordinance authorizing removal.


I then checked if my city has a corresponding ordinance, and they do:


10.24.020 - Storage of vehicles in street.permanent link to this piece of content

A. It is unlawful for any person who owns or has possession, custody, or control of any vehicle to park such vehicle or leave it standing upon any highway, street, or alley for more than seventy-two hours in the aggregate during any period of seventy-three consecutive hours. For the purposes of this section, a vehicle shall be considered to have been parked or left standing for such seventy-two hours if it has remained inoperable or has not been moved at least one mile during the seventy-two hour period. An inoperable vehicle is a vehicle that cannot be moved under its own power or a vehicle which cannot operate safely and legally on the highways of the state. Pushing or moving a vehicle a short distance or attempting to rub away the tire marking will not be considered compliance with this section. The mileage reflected on the odometer of the vehicle shall be presumed to be the accurate indication of the distance that the vehicle has or has not been moved. Obstruction of the odometer of the vehicle will result in a presumption that the vehicle has not been moved.

B. In the event a vehicle is parked or left standing as set forth in subsection A of this section, any member of the police department authorized by the police chief may remove the vehicle from the street in the manner and subject to the requirements of the vehicle code.


Then, another statute authorizing collection of an Admin Fee (the real point of all this):


10.54.010 - General provisions.permanent link to this piece of content

"The owner of any vehicle towed away under the direction of the city police department pursuant to Sections 22651(k), 22651(o), 22651(p) or 22669(d) of the California Vehicle Code, shall be required to pay an administrative fee as established pursuant to resolution of the city council prior to the release of the owner's vehicle."

[bjl584]

How did anyone know that your car sat for over 72 hours? Are there really parking authority officers out there pounding the pavement paying that much attention to parked cars and how long they've been sitting?

[mom-from-missouri]

I would appeal--let us know how that goes.
I would also possibly appeal the insurance on the hospital stay...Most medical insurances that I have ever had, will waive the ER visit copays if a hospitalization occurs. Might want to check that out.

[disneysteve]

A. It is unlawful for any person who owns or has possession, custody, or control of any vehicle to park such vehicle or leave it standing upon any highway, street, or alley for more than seventy-two hours in the aggregate during any period of seventy-three consecutive hours.

So what are you supposed to do if you go on vacation? We just got back from a 12-day trip to Florida. We have a private driveway but if we didn't, how would that work? When we lived in Philadelphia, we parked on the street. If we went away, my car didn't move for a week.

What a stupid law.

[ua_guy]

That's a bummer about the impound. There are similar laws around here, one of the reasons I refuse to live in a downtown or urban corridor.

FYI, that appendectomy was more like a $20,000 visit as charged by the hospital to your insurance. Suddenly the tow/impound feels cheap, right?

I had an emergency appendectomy once and...lol!...I remember I was worried about parking too. I drove myself to the ER and practically fell out of the car, I was in such bad shape. I was 23 and broke at the time. I managed to get ahold of a buddy on the phone, so he showed up at the hospital and I remember tossing him my keys and telling him to move my car to the hospital parking garage so it doesn't get towed. I was holding off on pain meds for exactly that reason. Once he had the keys I think I told the nurse, "hit me!" and after that I was kind of a dopey mess while I waited for surgery.

I was on my folks' insurance at the time. Total charges were just over $15k for the stay. My folks paid $500 out of pocket in deductibles and co-insurance. I was making $10/hour at the time and I remember bitching about the $30 parking tab ($15 x2 days) to get out of the garage.

[shaggy]

So what are you supposed to do if you go on vacation? We just got back from a 12-day trip to Florida. We have a private driveway but if we didn't, how would that work? When we lived in Philadelphia, we parked on the street. If we went away, my car didn't move for a week.

What a stupid law.

You're supposed to put your car in long-term parking if you go on vacation for more than 72 hours and don't have a private driveway.

I can see the point of the law; the city doesn't want cars left abandoned on the streets, or have people perma-park and live in their cars.

[shaggy]

How did anyone know that your car sat for over 72 hours? Are there really parking authority officers out there pounding the pavement paying that much attention to parked cars and how long they've been sitting?

There are parking officers who drive by in little three-wheeled carts and use electronic scanners to scan the license plates of all parked cars. If your car is still in the same location for 72 hours, you can get towed.

of course they don't check 100% of the cars in the city. Tulag, sorry you got impounded. I hope you can get a fine reduction.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Ah, tulog, that's a bummer.

We do have a similar city ordinance, though I do not know the details. I have seen that it gets enforced by police marking your tire and the street with spray paint. If they come back after the allowable passage of time and see that the paint on the tire and street match up, they figure your car has not moved, so they can issue a ticket.

It seems to be very rarely enforced here. I imagine it usually happens when a neighbor complains.

[rennigade]

Thats what you get for living in California.

The best thing that could happen to that state is a massive earthquake hits it, separates it from North American and it somehow sinks to the bottom of the ocean.

Ive been to Sequoia NP and Yosemite...Ive seen em...they can now disappear along with the rest of that state for all I care.

[disneysteve]

There are parking officers who drive by in little three-wheeled carts and use electronic scanners to scan the license plates of all parked cars. If your car is still in the same location for 72 hours, you can get towed.

And how do they know that you didn't leave and come back and park in the same spot? If you drive by my office every day, you may see my car in the same spot 3 days in a row. That doesn't mean the car never moved.

I'd suggest calling your state representative or congressman if you have any trouble getting the charges reversed. This law is insane.

[disneysteve]

You're supposed to put your car in long-term parking if you go on vacation for more than 72 hours and don't have a private driveway.

Growing up, we had 5 cars and a 1-car driveway. So if we went on a family vacation we were supposed to put 3 or 4 cars into a long term parking lot? I don't think so. That would have cost as much as the entire vacation.