Morris Co. Woman Fighting Christmas Eve Ticket On Handicap Van

PARSIPPANY, NJ - Parsippany resident Liana Kraenzlin, 41, has dealt with the injustice of a multiple sclerosis diagnosis for more than two decades and while there isn't much she can do to fight the unfair condition that has been thrust upon her, she sure is ready to fight the parking ticket slapped on the windshield of her handicap accessible van on Christmas Eve.

Kraenzlin said she had come from a late-night showing of the latest Star Wars movie when she decided to stop at the ShopRite in Wharton, which is open 24 hours, to do some much-needed grocery shopping.

"Last minute Christmas dinner shopping at 2 a.m. is perfect for someone like me," Kraenzlin told Patch, noting that she is often overwhelmed by crowds. "You know, the kind of crowd one would expect on Christmas Eve during regular business hours."

The wheelchair-dependent Kraenzlin drives a van equipped with ramp that extends out and allows her to transition in and out of the vehicle. The white van Kraenzlin named Falkor, after the dragon Bastian and Atreyu ride in the film "Neverending Story," is clearly marked on the windows and plates as handicapped. Because it was late, after 2 a.m., and the parking lot nearly deserted, Kraenzlin parked the van across two spaces to make it easier to extend the ramp.

"Was it technically illegal? Yeah, but holy fudge there’s an entire empty lot, I was not taking away an otherwise valuable open space," Kraenzlin said.

As to why she didn't park in the regular handicap space designated, Kraenzlin said many times she's tried to shop in places like Wharton people are either in that space or park too close to the space for her ramp to extend, leaving her stranded.

"If enforcement there were better, it might not be an issue," she said.

Kraenzlin said she wasn't in the store for that long and soon she and a store manager assisting her with her groceries were back out in the parking lot when she noticed a paper tucked under her windshield wiper. She said she assumed it was someone who left her a message saying something along the lines of "learn how to park" because she was across two spaces, and she shrugged it off.

"Hell, it’s the middle of the night and them rest of the lot is almost empty so who was I hurting? No, I didn’t park in a handicapped spot because more often than not, someone will park too close to my car and prevent me from putting down the ramp," Kraenzlin said. "Thus, the decision to park across two spots like maybe a Ferrari owner might do to prevent their car from getting dinged."

But Wharton Borough Police Officer Bryan Baracaldo did not see it that way. During his patrol of the 2.2 square-mile Morris County municipality he encountered Falkor and issued a $54 parking ticket.

So that did it.

Kraenzlin said she broke down crying in the parking lot of ShopRite the morning of Christmas Eve.

"It was just such a slap in the face, insult to injury or whatnot." she said. "This is just another seemingly benign occurrence that just breaks my heart wide open for a little while. I can handle it, I’ve proven that many times over. I’ll rally, I always, eventually, do. And soon enough, I’ll get another one for the win column, another moment that may not register on most people’s radars but for me is a momentary miracle."

Kraenzlin counts things like running errands, transitioning from her wheelchair to seats in a movie theater and other things people take for granted as wins to celebrate. One of those wins may be a victory over the ticket, which Kraenzlin said she plans on fighting in court. And after sharing her story on her Facebook page, she will have supporters there with her.

"I am objecting to this ticket not just for the insult of $54 I don't have," Kraenzlin said. "But for the possibility that anyone might think twice before judging a car parked that way. For me, even mundane tasks require thoughtful planning so when something like this happens, it’s more than annoying. It’s like a defeat. I’m just trying to buy groceries, too."

And if she loses?

"Then I’ll wipe my nose, suck it up, and drive home in a car that, as someone in a wheelchair, I am freakishly lucky to have and I never forget it," Kraenzlin said.

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