Mother who rushed herself to A&E with severe pain and bleeding fearing she was losing the second of her twin babies

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• Kirsty Tierney-Jones, 33 drove to A&E fearing she was about to lose baby
• She was suffering pain and bleeding caused by hyperemesis gravidarum
• The illness had already claimed the life of one of her twins 24 weeks earlier 
• On arrival at hospital at 5am there was no time to purchase a parking ticket
• She later received a £75 fine and threat of court action if she refused to pay

Shock: Kirsty Tierney-Jones was given a parking fine despite driving to the A&E with severe pain and bleeding while pregnant with baby Alice-Neve

 Mother who rushed herself to A&E with severe pain and bleeding fearing she was losing the second of her twin babies has been fined for parking at hospital without a ticket

 

A pregnant woman who drove herself to A&E when she though she was losing the second of her twin babies has been fined for parking at the hospital without a ticket.

Kirsty Tierney-Jones, 33, rushed to Queen's Hospital in Romford at 5am on October 18 with severe pain and bleeding after falling over at home while 38 weeks pregnant.

Despite suffering the same symptoms that had already claimed the life of one of her twin babies 24 weeks earlier, Mrs Tierney-Jones, from Hornchurch in Essex, was given a parking ticket and threatened with court action if she did not pay out.

Upon arriving at the hospital by herself at 5am, Mrs Tierney-Jones was helped from her car and into A&E by an elderly couple.

She left her vehicle in a space at the flagship hospital’s car park, but there was no time for her to purchase a ticket from a pay-and-display machine.

Mrs Tierney-Jones had been struck down by hyperemesis gravidarum, which causes nausea and vomiting, and which had already claimed the life of one of her twins at just 14 weeks.

It was the same devastating condition suffered by the Duchess of Cambridge, who was taken into hospital at the beginning of her pregnancy with Prince George.

Mrs Tierney-Jones, who lost a stone-and-a-half as she battled the illness, later gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Alice-Neve.

But she was shocked to receive a £75 parking fine several weeks after her terrifying visit to A&E.

Mrs Tierney-Jones appealed to Gemini Parking Solutions, which runs the hospital’s parking payments system, on January 23 of this year.

But the company initially refused to waive the fine and even threatened to take legal action against her if she did not make the payment.

Emergency: Upon arriving at the hospital by herself at 5am, Mrs Tierney-Jones left her vehicle in a space in the hospital's car park (pictured), but there was no time to purchase a pay-and-display ticket

Mrs Tierney-Jones said: 'It’s absolutely disgusting - my child’s life was at risk and they still want to fine me.'

'My baby could have died... I had already lost her sibling', she added.

She went on to say: 'It would have been different if it was an appointment but this was an emergency.'

A spokesman Gemini Parking Solutions claims the company has since cancelled the parking ticket after local newspaper The Romford Recorder intervened on her behalf.

WHAT IS HYPEREMESIS GRAVIDARUM?

Hyperemesis gravidarum is a complication of pregnancy characterised by nausea, vomiting, and dehydration.

It is considered a relatively rare complication, estimated to affect between 0.5 and 2 per cent of pregnant women, but because nausea and vomiting during pregnancy exists on a spectrum, it is often difficult to distinguish between hyperemesis gravidarum and more common morning sickness.

Some women have been known to lose as much as 10 per cent of their body weight due to hyperemesis gravidarum, with many sufferers also extremely sensitive to odours in their environment, meaning certain smells may can make the vomiting worse.

There are numerous theories about the cause of hyperemesis gravidarum, among them genetics, body chemistry, and overall health, although no single factor has been established.

Perhaps the most famous hyperemesis gravidarum is Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, who spent three days in hospital with the illness while pregnant with Prince George.

A public announcement of the duchess' pregnancy, before the usual three-month mark, was prompted by her medical condition.

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