https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 21 Apr 2026 04:23:12 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2829068 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 13:28:42 +0000 looch 2829068@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would at least be asking the artist to show me a documented offer or an appraisal on that piece. I wouldn't just be handing the quote over to my insurance company without doing some due diligence. I have a hard time believing that insurance company would just fork over the money in that case as well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2829061 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 13:14:11 +0000 psw27 2829061@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bees_knees: @MaryM: Agree. The artist is creating value. "I want to be reimbursed for the amount of time that I spent on it and for what I think it is worth," he said. Umm no, I'd need an actual art valuation before someone sent me a bill for $132,000. Also, I would never put my art somewhere where it was not properly insured. I'm not diminishing his work, I actually think it was pretty cool but $132,000.... what is his hourly rate? How long did it take to create? </p> <p>Not to mention, this building has an actual daycare in it. Like, it's not unfathomable that a child could get to it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2829059 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 13:10:08 +0000 bees_knees 2829059@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MaryM: agree 100% (again) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2829057 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 13:09:35 +0000 bees_knees 2829057@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MaryM: I agree. There were so many factors at play here. And accidents happen! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2829056 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 13:03:30 +0000 MaryM 2829056@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bees_knees: I also wondered about the artist assigning the value. I feel like someone with training as an appraiser should be doing that. I can create something, claim it took a million hours to do it, and assign a huge value to it too. But if it really was worth that value, you bet your bottom I'd insure it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2829051 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 12:59:22 +0000 bees_knees 2829051@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p><a href="https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/parents-face-132000-claim-kid-knocks-sculpture/story?id=55927437" rel="nofollow">https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/parents-face-132000-claim-kid-knocks-sculpture/story?id=55927437</a></p> <p>This article says they were just out of frame saying goodbyes at the wedding reception. In which case I can totally see something like this happening to me (and I have a seriously well behaved 4 year old!)</p> <p>It also says that the artist who created it put the value at $132,000 and said “It’s beyond my capabilities and desires to rebuild it,”</p> <p>At the risk of sounding ignorant (bc I know there are some Artist Bees here!), who decides the art’s value? Who decides if it is able to be repaired? I think the “desires to rebuild it” strikes me the wrong way? I dunno. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2829044 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 12:50:15 +0000 MaryM 2829044@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just don't understand how/why an artist would lend their artwork to a facility that wasn't properly insured and/or make sure it was installed in such a way that it wasn't damaged. Who puts artwork made of glass where a 5 year old can touch it? </p> <p>Or why such a facility would host outside events and not have the hosts of such events be liable for damages that happen during their event. </p> <p>Not that I think children should be able to run free, but I don't think this is such a two sided issue. It's not either the artist or the parents are right...there's a lot to consider here. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2829043 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 12:48:35 +0000 Sams Mom 2829043@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: The local paper said they were both around the corner saying good by to the father of the bride. Their 4 kids were with them when they started talking and then at least the 2 in the footage wandered off. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2829041 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 12:44:18 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2829041@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Sams Mom: in your local news coverage did they say where the mom and dad were? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2829038 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 12:38:58 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2829038@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>More details- <a href="https://www.google.com/amp/www.foxnews.com/us/2018/06/16/kansas-city-bills-parents-132000-after-child-damages-glass-sculpture.amp.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.google.com/amp/www.foxnews.com/us/2018/06/16/kansas-city-bills-parents-132000-after-child-damages-glass-sculpture.amp.html</a></p> <p>The art is actually uninsured and the artist is putting a price tag on its value. The parents are turning to their home insurance policy to foot the bill. </p> <p>Honestly, it’s things like this that make me want to stay home with LO. Supervising ones child is an exhausting full time job. Unless the mom was one of the women on the couch in the same area I am having a hard time saying he was somewhat supervised. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2829036 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 12:38:02 +0000 Sams Mom 2829036@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I live in the area kind of that this happened at. An interview with the owner said that they are not billing the family directly. Their insurance is speaking with the families insurance, but that still could get them dropped from their insurance if a claim goes through, which would in turn make them un-insurable or high premium rates at the very least. </p> <p>My 2 year old is crazy sometimes and I could see him doing this in the time it took me to get a snack out for him or a toy or blink. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2829032 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 12:35:40 +0000 psw27 2829032@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ugh. My worst nightmare. I have a really high energy 3 year old who could easily do something like this in the time it takes me to bend down and grab something out of the stroller. </p> <p>I think what bothers me here, is that this child's pretty innocent mistake could bankrupt this family. $132,000 is a LOT of money. This is an insurance carrier basically trying to get out of paying a claim for their insured by bankrupting a family. There has to be middle ground here. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2829022 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 12:14:34 +0000 Truth Bombs 2829022@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This was a wedding reception, not just a visit to a community center... so this wasn't like a fun child centric event. There was also a fully curated collection of nice pieces in that room making it very obviously not kid friendly. My kids definitely get away from me for 8 seconds... but they don't get into another room from me unless I know what's around the corner and how free they can be. I don't know what the solution is here, but I do think the parents need to take some responsibility. The world is not set up to cater to your child so YOU need to make sure he doesn't get into inappropriate situations. Lack of personal responsibility is a real hot button issue for me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2829020 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 12:07:11 +0000 DesertDreams88 2829020@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@alphagam84: @starchild: @PurplePumps: @bees_knees: in regards to supervision, there is only 8 seconds of camera footage before the statue falls over. </p> <p>Does my child get away from me sometimes for 8 seconds or more? Yes. Do I "not watch" him for 8-10 seconds of being busy with his sister or another adult talking to me or trying to grab something in my bag? Yes. Does my child sometimes run into other rooms to explore, and do I let him, at a community center? Yes. Do I sometimes not scout out and test every item within a location to see if it is child-safe? Yes.</p> <p>A $132,000 glass sculpture should be more secured, hands down.</p> <p>That much money is more than 5x what I take home in a year. That money is 3-4x our yearly living expenses, aka what we spend in a year. Soooo, no. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2829014 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 11:52:46 +0000 alphagam84 2829014@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The child was clearly not supervised. I watched the video and it's not like he brushed up against it or tripped and fell, he was hanging all over that thing. They said it was secured but not to the level of having some hang off of it-I wouldn't expect it to be that well secured. If you take your child to a museum with nice art/sculptures (not a kids museum), you need to be paying close attention the entire time. The mother was nowhere to be seen. I don't feel bad for them, talk about privlege and blaming others. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2828931 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 09:02:59 +0000 MrsSCB 2828931@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yeah, I think it's absurd that a community center would have such an expensive piece of artwork just out there, not properly secured (by their own admission). We were at an event at a local community center this weekend, and there were kids running all over the place! I mean that's what it's for... As a parent, I'm a lot more on top of my kid at somewhere that I KNOW will have expensive stuff, like an actual museum, vs. a place that's supposed to be for families and kids.</p> <p>ETA: I'll also add that the community center should be thankful that statue didn't end up falling on a kid and injuring them. I think we'd be discussing an entirely different scenario if that had happened... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2828925 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 08:57:15 +0000 starchild 2828925@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with everything @bees_knees: said. The child was fairly unsupervised, but I think 5 is old enough to be allowed to play at a community center with reasonable expectations. If they were at a museum, I would say the parents should have been supervising better. That display was absolutely unsafe, nevermind irresponsible given the statue's value. But anyway, I saw where the city manager or community center manager said they are trying to bill insurance, not the parents. Insurance needs to get over itself because situations like this are literally why their product even exists. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2828873 Mon, 18 Jun 2018 07:27:43 +0000 PurplePumps 2828873@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I saw this and I'm still not sure how I feel. The cultural center does have insurance, but I believe the insurance company does not want to pay and is saying the parents are responsible for it. From the articles and you can kind of see it on the video, the kid was trying to *hug* the statue... he wasn't just touching it or poking at it lightly. On the one hand, I do agree that they should have blocked it off better given that it seemed to be a high movement area lobby, but it seems they weren't intending on having a lot of children in the area. But he was also unsupervised for quite some time in the video, and I feel like at 5 years old, could/should know better. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2828850 Sun, 17 Jun 2018 22:53:34 +0000 birdofafeather 2828850@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i just watched the video (<a href="http://abc7chicago.com/family-on-the-hook-for-$132000-after-son-topples-statue/3606699/" rel="nofollow">http://abc7chicago.com/family-on-the-hook-for-$132000-after-son-topples-statue/3606699/</a>) and it looks like there is no one there at all nearby, venue staff, guests (some sitting on a couch) or otherwise. if something costs that much and they're having events there, it should be protected. i agree with @bees_knees: that it's what insurance is for! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2828844 Sun, 17 Jun 2018 21:57:02 +0000 bees_knees 2828844@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I saw the security camera footage. The kid was obviously not being supervised and running around (like a normal 5 year old boy!)...but it’s my understanding that this was a community center? That happened to have some museum pieces on temporary display. I feel like that is TOTALLY different than visiting a museum. I also don’t feel like the piece was protected at all. </p> <p>I think that the parents should have supervised him better, the venue should have protected it better, and this is what insurance is for.</p> <p>ETA: the video footage looked like he *barely* touched it and the statue fell on top of him. So I feel like 1) it should have been secured better and 2) that could make the venue liable (what if it had injured the child?) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-billed-for-132000-statue#post-2828842 Sun, 17 Jun 2018 21:42:57 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2828842@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Did you all here about the kid who toppled a statue in Kansas City? The parents have been asked to pay for it— $132,000. The mom was on the news saying the museum/ cultural center aka social event venue should have protected it better.</p> <p>I’m all for parents being held financially accountable, but that bill could wipe out a college fund! WDYT </p>