Parents May Be on the Hook For 132k Claim After Kid Ruins Sculpture

Sometimes having a kid can be expensive. Some more than others. 

That's what one Kansas couple learned when an insurance company hit them with a $132,000 claim after their 5-year-old knocked over an expensive sculpture at an Overland Park community center. 

According to ABC News, the family was at a wedding reception at the Tomahawk Ridge Community Center in Overland Park when their 5-year-old was caught reaching for the 'Aphrodite di Kansas City' on surveillance cameras. The boy can be seen reaching up, grabbing on to the glass piece, until it topples to the ground.

The artist, Bill Lyons, who spent nearly 2 years working on the sculpture, says there was extensive damage to the piece's heads and arms and was beyond his "capabilities and desires to rebuild it."

The insurance company then sent a letter to the family saying they were responsibly for monitoring their child and their failure to do so could be considered negligent. 

Sarah Goodman, the mother of the 5-year-old contends the whole scenario was dangerous, with the sculpture improperly secured. 

“He probably hugged it,” Goodman told the Kansas City Star. “Maybe my son hugged a torso because he’s a loving, sweet nice boy who just graduated from preschool.”

The family says they hope their homeowner's insurance policy will cover the claim. 

"It's clear accidents happen and this was an accident," Goodman said. "I don't want to diminish the value of their art. But I can't pay for that." 


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