Mother Could Be On Hook for $132,000 in Damages After Age 5 Son Knocks Over Sculpture
We’re all told not to touch the art in museums. There are always guards standing in close quarters, watching to see if you even breathe too closely to these precious art pieces.
Sculptures, paintings, old carved wood and furniture — all are untouchable.
Yet, it’s always so tempting to feel the handiwork of artists, especially when it’s sitting so closely in front of you.
For a 5-year-old Kansas boy, he was definitely feeling this temptation when he recently knocked over a $132,000 statue inside the Tomahawk Ridge Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas.
The community center caught this moment on video.
As two young boys ran around and played like normal kids, mom Sarah Goodman sat calmly surrounded by two other spectators.
The boys appeared to be playing tag surrounded by different paintings and sculptures of all sizes.
Soon, one 5-year-old boy decided to stop and look at one of the sculptures, which was sitting atop a tall, white pedestal.
The boy grabbed the bottom of the sculpture, which was named, “Aphrodite di Kansas” by a local artist named Bill Nyons.
The sculpture began to shake, and at first it appeared as if it would just be a small shake that wouldn’t do any harm.
However, a second shake sent the sculpture flying off the pedestal and onto the young boy, taking him down with it.
Hitting the boy’s arm on the way down and leaving him on top of the sculpture, the boy seemed to be hurt. But he soon stood up and walked away after stumbling a bit more over the fallen art piece.
Hearing the loud tumbling, spectators quickly looked up, and Goodman hurried over to assess the damage. She eventually appeared to ask someone how to handle the situation.
Goodman originally thought the damage would cost her around $800, but soon realized the cost would be much more than that.
“No, it’s $132,000!” she said.
The Goodman family did receive a letter from the City of Overland’s insurance company, accusing them of negligence and not monitoring their children, which multiple local media outlets have reported. However, Goodman blamed the community center, pointing out their lack of display cases and “Do Not Touch” signs.
Although Goodman had been waiting for the city to take legal action against her, it is confirmed that the city is now handling this situation between the two insurance companies.
“Our insurance company is reaching out to the family to talk to their insurance company,” City Spokesman Sean Reilly confirmed. “We are not billing the family. It’s a misunderstanding. We are not sending the bill to the family. We want to talk to the insurance company.”
This occurrence has sparked a lot of debate about whether the family should be responsible for the expenses or not. What do you think?
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