A little boy’s attempt of hugging a glass sculpture has left his parents with a penalty of $132,000 after he accidentally knocks it over.
The incident happened on May 19 during a wedding reception at Overland Park community center in Kansas City, Kansas, where the sculpture made of mirror and glass was put on public display.
In the footage that was captured by the CCTV camera, the 5-year-old can be seen heading towards the sculpture named as Aphrodite di Kansas City while his mother is conversing with other people on nearby sofas.
The boy tries to take the sculpture in his little arms but his attempt to embrace the torso lands him in big trouble as the heavy sculpture topples on to him.
Along with the damage caused to the arms and head of the sculpture, the boy also got scratches on his face.
Following the incident, the artist who made the sculpture has filed a $132,000 claim against the parents.
Artist Bill Lyons, who had loaned the sculpture to the city of Overland Park to put on display, says he is now unable to sell the sculpture so he wants to be reimbursed for its worth.
Lyons said: “I want to be reimbursed for the amount of time that I spent on it and for what I think it is worth.”
The boy’s mother Shannon Goodman was contacted by the city’s representatives who asked her to pay the reimbursement amount.
“The city has a responsibility to file a claim with our insurance company, and we do that any time city property is damaged.
“It will be up to the insurance companies to get this worked out,” a spokesman for the city of Overland Park said.
Goodman was stunned after receiving the letter from city’s insurance agency because she had not expected the sculpture to be so valuable.
The mother told The Kansas City Star, “It’s clear accidents happen and this was an accident. I don’t want to diminish the value of their art. But I can’t pay for that.”
The mother explained that the little boy wandered off towards the statue when she was saying goodbye to the bride’s father.
She added that her son and his siblings are well-mannered and the incident happened accidentally.
“He probably hugged it,” she said.
“Maybe my son hugged a torso because he’s a loving, sweet nice boy who just graduated from preschool.”