Unique Use of Handicapped Parking Spot in Sturgis

I was glancing at Facebook yesterday when I saw a photo that made me immediately laugh and also ponder what could have been going on.

My buddy Cliff, who has a well developed and strange sense of humor, took this photo of a Rascal-type scooter parked in the handicapped spot at a Taco Johns in Sturgis and had the caption of "I can't be the only one who thinks this is hilarious."

I laughed immediately because it is unusual and obvious, yet confusing. I started pondering all sorts of possibilities.

Was the person who rode the scooter to the store really in need of the scooter? If so, why didn't they just park it closer to the door, giving them a shorter walk to the door. Or, since all restaurants are required to be handicapped accessible, they could have driven the scooter inside. Or did they know it was tight for the scooter in there and, while they still need the scooter normally, they could handle walking in there to get food and sit down. Or was there not room to park the scooter in a pedestrian area outside the store.

Another question popped into my head. Is it even legal for this scooter to be parked in a handicapped parking spot? I don't see a tag. It certainly isn't street legal. Could the scooter be ticketed? An officer would likely let it go, unless it was a perfectly healthy high school kid who did not need the spot.

Am I putting way too much thought into a funny photo on the Internet? Yes.