Montreal father fighting parking ticket following son’s death

MONTREAL — Luc Horne is mourning the loss of his son.

Jeremy was the youngest of four brothers in a family that was very close.

He died last month at the age of 24 from an apparent drug overdose.

The young man had severe mental issues that he had been struggling with for years.

“He was always giving, always giving. But he was never able to take care of himself,” Luc told Global News from his home in Vaudreuil-Dorion.

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As painful as it is dealing with Jeremy’s tragic death — his father is also dealing with Montreal city bureaucrats.

Horne is furious he has to pay a parking ticket that was issued the night his son died.

Jeremy borrowed his dad’s car to visit a friend in Montreal.

But after he died a $53 ticket was placed on the windshield.

Horne called the courthouse pleading for compassion, hoping that the ticket be torn up.

“Considering the situation, that my son couldn’t obviously drive the car, that we were grieving, that there would be some compassion in this bureaucracy, to say, ‘Okay, let’s cancel the ticket,” Horne said.

Horne is contesting the fine.

His court date is not likely come up for another year.

Police officers told him he has an overwhelming case and will likely win.

But it’s the callous attitude Horne received from court clerks on the phone that has him so angry and frustrated with the legal system.

“I said ‘Look, my son son died,’ and there was no compassion,” he said.

Global News contacted the city and a Montreal spokesperson said that, unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done.

Once a ticket is issued it must be fought in court. Only a judge can exonerate a defendant and that has to be done in person.

Horne saidi he plans to take the issue up further, perhaps by writing a letter to Quebec’s justice minister.

But he’s not going to spend too much time on the fine. He’s focused on remaining strong while trying to deal with the worse loss of his life.

“That’s the tough part,” he said.