Hatter says $243 ticket not justifiable when he was pushing his stalled car

A Medicine Hat man says it’s unfair that he received a ticket for going through a red light when he was pushing his stalled car into a parking lot.

David Campbell told the News that he ran out of gas on Thursday at the corner of Kipling Street and Dunmore Road, and the vehicle was blocking a lane of traffic at the busy intersection. A friend was called to bring a gas can, and in the meantime another motorist offered to help muscle the car into a nearby lot.

They did, after which a police officer wrote him a $243 ticket for proceeding through a red light.

“Talk about getting kicked when you’re down,” he said, admitting that the car wasn’t blocking the intersection, but he felt it prudent to clear his lane.

He felt that the officer should have given him a warning or stepped in to direct traffic if they saw a dangerous situation developing.

“You just have to wonder,” he said.

Medicine Hat Police did not return a message left Friday afternoon.

Campbell plans to plead notguilty and fight the fine.