Veteran Gets $250k Payout After He Was Arrested For Handicap Parking

A disabled U.S. Marines veteran has won a $250,000 payout after a national park ranger allegedly beat him and arrested him for parking in a handicapped reserved spot.

Sgt. Dominic Esquibel, who suffers a damaged right arm and partially shattered right leg and foot, was allegedly aggressively handled, kicked, and arrested after he parked in the handicapped spot at the Sequoia National Park in California in 2012, and rangers didn't believe he was disabled.

The San Diego veteran sued the Department of Interior and the National Park Service for assault, false arrest, and false imprisonment for the incident and the case was scheduled to go to trial last week in U.S. District Court, but was recently settled.

'He feels vindicated and he is glad this is over,' Esquibel's lawyer said to the Washington Post.

Disabled U.S. Marines veteran Sgt. Dominic Esquibel won a $250,000 settlement from the U.S. government after a national park ranger allegedly used excessive force and arrested him over the use of a handicapped parking space at Sequoia National Park in 2012

'He was having trouble sleeping and his condition was getting worse,' he added on the veteran who served in Afghanistan and was awarded the Navy Cross for heroism during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

On December 22, 2012, Esquibel was visiting Sequoia National Park with his family. He parked in a nearby handicap space, despite the long lines at the park, so that he could use the restroom.

A park employee yelled at him saying, 'You can't park there'. When Esquibel said he was disabled the employee replied saying, 'I can see that you're not', the lawsuit states.

That employee then called two rangers onto the scene. One of them was Ranger Parrack, who demanded Esquibel show his handicapped driver's license, which he didn't have because he didn't require any adaptive equipment.

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Esquibel served in Afghanistan and was awarded the Navy Cross for heroism during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He suffered major injuries to his right leg, arm and foot in the war

After Esquibel parked in a handicap spot on December 22, 2012, he was approached by a park ranger who threatened to throw him to the ground and didn't believe he was disabled. In that confrontation the ranger kicked his legs and pulled up his pant to see proof of his leg brace (above)

Parrack then allegedly threatened Esquibel, saying he'd throw him to the ground and order him to be arrested.

Then things turned physical and Parrack grabbed Esquibel's scarred arm, inflicting pain upon the veteran as his wife watched. Parrack proceeded to kick Esquibel's feet to separate his legs as the veteran shouted that his leg. Feet were injured from his time fighting in Afghanistan.

'I'm combat wounded, and you're kicking my salvaged limb,' Esquibel told Parrack.

Parrack pulled up Esquibel's jeans to see the brace.

It's unclear whether Parrack or any other park staffers at Sequoia National Park (above) were disciplined over the incident

'I told my wife to remove herself and get in the car so at least there would be a witness to hold him accountable,' Esquibel said.

When Esquibel offered to show his paperwork for his handicap placard, Ranger Parrak refused to listen and forcibly arrested him instead, as per the lawsuit.

Parrack arrested him and issued a citation for 'failure to follow a lawful order', according to court documents. Esquibel was later released. The charge was dropped in 2014.

Esquibel pursued the lawsuit because he didn't want the arrest on his record and wanted to clear his name.

It's unclear whether Parrack or any other park staffers were disciplined over the incident.

'It is my hope that this will prompt other law enforcement to think twice before repeating the same missteps and causing further misfortune for others with disabilities,' Esquibel said.

Disabled Person's License Plates and Parking Permits

Permanently Disabled Person’s Parking Permits/Placards

A permanently disabled person is defined as someone who: 

• Is hearing impaired, which means, a person whose hearing is totally diminished or so seriously limited as to prohibit the person from understanding oral communications when spoken in a normal conversational tone
• Has disabilities that can be expected to incapacitate a person for more than 180 days
• Is so limited in mobility that they cannot walk 200 feet without stopping to rest 
• Cannot walk without the use of or assistance from a brace, a cane, a crutch, another person, a prosthetic device, a wheelchair, or other assistive device 
• Is restricted by lung disease to such an extent that their forced respiratory volume for one second, when measured by Spiro meter, is less than one liter, or when at rest their arterial oxygen tension is less than 60 millimeters of mercury on room air 
• Uses portable oxygen 
• Has a cardiac condition to the extent that their functional limitations are classified in severity as Class III or Class IV according to standards set by the American Heart Association
• Is a vision impaired individual whose central visual acuity does not exceed 20/200 in the better eye with correcting lenses or whose visual acuity, if better than 20/200, is accompanied by a limit to the field of vision in the better eye to such degree that its widest diameter subtends an angle of no greater than 20 degrees
• Is severely limited in their ability to walk due to an arthritic, neurological, or  orthopedic condition or complications due to pregnancy

Persons with disabilities may apply for a permanently disabled person’s parking permit/placard from the County Tag Office where the disabled person lives by submitting Form MV-9D Disabled Person’s Parking Affidavit signed by a licensed doctor of medicine or osteopathic medicine, a podiatrist, an optometrist, or a licensed chiropractor. You do not have to own a vehicle to obtain a disabled persons parking permit/placard. 

The permanently disabled person’s parking permit/placard:

• Is blue in color.   
• Is issued at no charge.
• Must be replaced every four years. 
• May be used in any vehicle that the disabled person is operating or in which the disabled person is a passenger. 
• May be issued to an institution when the primary use of the vehicle is transporting persons with disabilities. Institutions can apply for these permits at the County Tag Office in the county in Georgia where the institution is located. 

A permanently disabled person may apply for both a disabled person’s parking permit/placard and a disabled person’s license plate with a Form MV-9D Disabled Person’s Parking Affidavit by checking the applicable boxes. The vehicle owner information is only required when applying for a disabled person’s license plate. The applicable box on this form must be checked indicating the type of parking permit/placard or license plate being requested. 

Temporarily Disabled Person’s Parking Permit/Placard 

A temporarily disabled person is a person with temporary limitations from a surgery or an accident. Temporarily disabled persons may apply for a parking permit/placard from the County Tag Office where they live by submitting a  Form MV-9D Disabled Person’s Parking Affidavit signed by a licensed doctor of medicine or osteopathic medicine, a podiatrist, an optometrist, or a licensed chiropractor. You do not have to own a vehicle to obtain a disabled persons parking permit/placard. 

The temporarily disabled person’s parking permit/placard:  

• Is red in color.
• Is valid up to 180 days. 
• Is issued at no charge. 
• May be used in any vehicle that the disabled person is operating or in which the disabled person is a passenger. 

Special Equipment Disabled Person Parking Permit/Placard

Persons who drive a motor vehicle that has been equipped with hand controls to operate the vehicle’s brakes and accelerator; or who are physically disabled from the loss of, or loss of use of, both upper extremities, may apply for a special equipment disabled person’s parking permit/placard for the specially equipped vehicle by submitting Form MV-9D Disabled Person’s Parking Affidavit to the County Tag Office where they reside. 

The special equipment disabled person parking permit: 

• Is gold in color.
• Is issued at no charge.
• Must be replaced every four years.
• Is issued in the same name as the permanent parking permit/placard.

Disabled Person’s License Plate

A person with disabilities, their spouse, child, ward or legal guardian who is a Georgia resident and owns or leases a motor vehicle may apply for a disabled person’s license plate for their vehicle at the County Tag Office where the owner lives.  Please provide the following: 

• Renewal notice (if correct) or completed Form MV-1 Tag and Title Application. 
• Application for individual and institutions – Form MV-9D Disabled Person’s Parking Affidavit must be completed and signed by a licensed doctor of medicine or osteopathic medicine, a podiatrist, an optometrist, or a licensed chiropractor, stating the vehicle owner or their spouse, ward or child is a person with disabilities whose disability or incapacity can be expected to last for more than 180 days, and stating the specific disability.
• Application for businesses – Form MV-9DB Disabled Person’s License Plate Affidavit for a Business. Instructions are included on the form.
• Fees – Annual $20 license plate fee. 
• Emissions inspection if applicable. 
• Proof of Insurance by one of the following:
  • Filed by the insurance company directly in the Department’s database.
  • Insurance binder showing insurance liability coverage.
• Taxes – Subject to Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT), Annual Motor Vehicle Ad Valorem Tax, or Georgia Sales and Use Tax.

A disabled person’s license plate:

• May only be issued for a private passenger motor vehicle or motorcycle, a truck weighing 14,000 pounds or less, or a recreational vehicle used for personal transportation that is owned or leased by the applicant.
• May be issued for a motor vehicle owned by the disabled person or owned jointly with the disabled person. 
• May be issued for a motor vehicle owned by the spouse, parent, or legal guardian of the disabled person. 
• May not be used by any person who is not a disabled person or who is not entitled to obtain a disabled person’s license plate. 
• May not be transferred to another person upon the disabled person’s death or if the joint ownership of such vehicle ceases for any reason. The disabled person’s license plate shall be canceled and the owner of such motor vehicle must apply for a regular category license plate for the vehicle. 
• May be transferred to another passenger vehicle that the registrant purchases if the previously owned vehicle is sold or is no longer owned by the disabled person, their spouse, child or ward.  

Any of the following shall constitute a criminal offense:

• Anyone willfully and falsely representing themselves as having the qualifications to obtain the disabled person’s license plate.  
• Any licensed doctor of medicine or osteopathic medicine, podiatrist, optometrist or licensed chiropractor who knowingly and willfully makes a false or misleading statement in their affidavit stating that an applicant is a disabled person. 
• Any person owning a vehicle bearing the disabled person’s license plate who is not entitled to do so.  

Disabled License Plate for a Business 

A business may apply for a disabled person’s license plate provided the employee that is disabled is the primary operator of the vehicle and Form MV-9D Disabled Person’s Parking Affidavit is completed, as stated.

REG 195, Application for Disabled Person Placard or Plates

The guidelines and guidelines with respect to impaired stopping licenses in California are like those in most other U.S. states. Yet, as most different states, California debilitated stopping law has a couple of one of a kind components and peculiarities that know about. Here is all you wanted to know about incapacitated stopping in California. 

Qualifying Conditions 

The rundown of qualifying handicaps in California is long and incorporates coronary illness; rheumatoid joint pain and joint inflammation; respiratory sickness; any ailment that requires the utilization of a convenient oxygen tank; lupus; numerous constant fiery infections; sight or hearing issues; intense daylight affectability; any condition that requires the utilization of a wheelchair, bolsters, or Zimmer outline; or having a prosthetic appendage. The last say on whether an individual meets all requirements for crippled stopping in California is passed on to the tact of the clinical expert who analyzes them and fills in their clinical endorsement. 

Kinds of Disabled Parking Badge 

California's crippled leaving identification program is controlled by the California Department of Motor Vehicles. The California DMV gives out a couple of various kinds of debilitated stopping bulletins and plates. You can get a long-lasting plate or bulletin, a transitory notice, or a movement notice. Long-lasting plates and bulletins are for individuals who have extremely durable handicaps. Transitory bulletins are accessible for individuals who just need them for a limited period, like individuals with a brief physical issue, individuals who are recuperating from an activity, or pregnant ladies. Impermanent bulletins in California are just substantial for a half year. Be that as it may, they can be restored up to multiple times. Every recharging will require another specialist's endorsement. Travel bulletins are for all time handicapped individuals who are going external their home state. A movement notice in legitimate for 30 days if a California inhabitant is going external California, or for 90 days if an occupant from another state is going inside California. 

Albeit, rigorously talking, you ought to have a movement notice in case you are visiting California from another purview, law authorization in the state quite often praises handicapped plates and bulletins from different states and nations. 

Dr. Debilitation - yellow impairment stopping place 

Expenses and Fees 

In California, pristine or substitution super durable incapacitated notices, just as movement bulletins, are free. In any case, a brief bulletin will cost $6. Your originally debilitated individual tag is free, yet if you really wanted a substitution it will cost $21. 

Where a California Disabled Parking Placard Enables You to Park 

With a California incapacitated stopping notice or plate, you are qualified for park in any checked crippled parking spot (set apart with blue controls or the worldwide wheelchair image), in present moment "green check" spaces for a limitless time frame, in spaces assigned for inhabitants or vendors, and at metered spaces for nothing. An impaired bulletin doesn't qualifies an individual for park in the striped regions close to handicapped spaces (which are saved to permit wheelchair admittance to the neighboring space), in red, yellow, or white control spaces, or in private spaces that are set apart with a name or tag number. 

Step by step instructions to Apply For Disabled Parking in California 

In case you are applying for a California handicap stopping notice interestingly, you should have an interview with a clinical expert with the goal for them to confirm that you require debilitated stopping. This should be possible face to face at a specialist's medical procedure or remotely utilizing telemedicine. When the clinical expert considers you reasonable for a stopping bulletin, they will finish an application structure. You then, at that point, present your application to the California DMV. This should be possible either face to face or via mail. 

Dr Handicap - Hollywood 

In the event that you choose to present your application face to face, it is prompted that you make an arrangement early. In the event that you choose to apply via mail, you should download an application frame and have a clinical expert fill it in, and afterward post it (alongside any installment if important) to the California DMV. In case you are applying face to face and you are an amputee, you don't need a clinical declaration. 

In California, incapacitated bulletins (even long-lasting ones) terminate following two years. Bulletins are naturally restored and presented on you twice, however on the third recharging date you wanted to re-apply by filling in another declaration, albeit this time it isn't important to have it filled in by a clinical expert. On the off chance that you change address, tell the California DMV via mailing them a Notice of Change of Address structure.

What Are The Parking Regulations In California?

It is important that California disabled placard holders understand the rules around handicap parking in their state. Having a permit can make life much easier for people with mobility issues, so it is essential that disabled permits are used correctly, as this allows the handicap parking system to run smoothly and efficiently. The California disabled parking program has several rules. Regulations that it is important to be aware of. New California permit holders need to understand these rules, and even long-term permit holders need to brush up on the do’s and don’ts from time to time.

California handicap placard holders contact us regularly with questions such as: How long can you park in a disabled space in California? How long can a car with a disabled placard be left in a space in California? What are the parking regulations in California? What are the California handicap parking rules? Is my California disabled placard valid in other states?

Let’s answer these important questions now.

How Long Can You Park In A Disabled Space In California?

A California disabled parking permit entitles its holder to park in a designated disabled space in California for an unlimited amount of time. Disabled spaces in California are marked with the International Symbol of Access (wheelchair symbol) and are located in every locality in the state.

How Long Can A Car With A Disabled Placard Be Left In A Space In California? This means that permit holders do not have to follow the time limits indicated on signage. Can park for unlimited periods in any space that is time-restricted for non-permit holders.

What Are The California Handicap Parking Rules?

What are the parking regulations in California for disabled permit holders? Disabled permit holders can park in any of the aforementioned spaces. But permit holders may not park:

- In spaces marked with a crosshatched pattern next to a disabled parking space (these spaces are for wheelchair and wheelchair lift access)
- Next to red curbs (red curbs indicate no stopping, standing, or parking for any reason)
- Next to yellow curbs (yellow curbs indicate that a space is for commercial vehicles only)
- Next to white curbs (white curbs indicate that a space is for loading and unloading passengers or depositing mail)
Is A California Handicap Permit Valid Outside The State?

California disabled permits are valid in all other US states, and also in several foreign countries, including:

- Canada
- Mexico
- UK
- EU
- Japan
- Australia
- New Zealand
What Types Of Disabled Permit Are Available In California?

California has several types of disabled parking permit available. Which one you need will depend on the type of disability you have and how long it is expected to last. The disabled parking permits available in California are:

- Permanent parking placard or license plates - for people with permanent disabilities; valid for two years
- Temporary parking placard - for people with temporary disabilities; valid for up to six months
- Organization license plates - for an organization that uses the vehicle to transport disabled people
- Disabled Veterans license plates
- Travel parking placard - for California permit holders who are traveling out of state
- Travel parking placard - for nonresidents who plan to travel in California
How Do You Qualify For Handicap Parking In California?

The qualifying conditions for a California disabled parking permit are:

- Loss of use of both hands or one or both lower extremities
- A disease that impairs or interferes with mobility
- Inability to walk without the aid of an assistive device
- Visual problems, including lower vision or partial-sightedness
Who Can Verify Handicap Parking Applications In California?

The medical professionals who can verify your disabled parking application in California include:

- Licensed physicians
- Surgeons
- Physician assistants
- Nurse practitioners
- Certified nurse midwives
- Licensed chiropractors
- Licensed optometrists
How Do You Apply For Handicap Parking In California?

The easiest way to apply for a California disabled parking permit is to set up a consultation with a medical professional through an online telemedicine clinic. This way you can submit your application from the comfort of your own home.