A nursing student was "outraged" to receive a parking ticket after he stopped to help a pensioner who had collapsed in the middle of a street.
Henry Redmond, from Plympton in Plymouth, was driving when he saw an elderly lady face down on the floor, and immediately pulled over to help her.
He was forced to park on double yellow lines, and when he returned to his car three minutes later, he found a £35 parking ticket on his windscreen.
"The lady was lying flat on her face and I honestly thought she had passed out or had suffered a cardiac arrest so my immediate response was to jump out and help her," he told the Plymouth Herald.
"By the time I got to her she had started to sit up on the kerb and I noticed she had a black eye."
The 22-year-old, who is financially supported by a bursary, and only receives £1.17 an hour, added: "I was less than 10 meters from the car with my back to it but in full view of the road assisting the lady. The warden would have clearly seen me helping her.
"Instead of offering his assistance or even checking I owned the vehicle he slapped on a ticket and continued on his way."
Redmond will now be forced to choose between paying the fine, affording petrol to visit patients or buying his groceries for the week.
A spokesperson for Plymouth City Council said: "The Penalty Charge Notice was issued by one of our officers who came across the car parked in a 'no loading/ no waiting area' in Belgrave Road.
"The officer observed the vehicle for two minutes and as there was no discretionary observation period for vehicles parked in a no waiting area, issued the PCN.
"We have spoken to the officer who was not aware of the incident or that the driver was helping a member of the public at the time. There was nothing to suggest the driver had left in an emergency; there was no hazard warning lights or any other clues. As the officer did not see this episode, he had no reason to not issue it.
"This gentleman made an informal challenge but this has been declined as it does not meet the strict criteria for the cancellation of the ticket. He is welcome to make formal representations through the appeals process but we would strongly suggest he provides as much as evidence as possible to support his appeal."