General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: 5 year old's touch sends on-loan sculpture crashing to floor. Kansas City bills parents 132K [View all]meadowlander
(4,416 posts)It's like saying if your kid drowns in a public swimming pool while you were running errands at the store next door that it is the city's fault for putting all that water there and not having lifeguards 24/7.
If the city put up signs saying there was no lifeguard on duty it is not their responsibility to keep the kid out of the water. It is the parent's.
Is it the city's fault when a kid runs into the road for not having guard rails along the full length of every public road? No, it is the parent's responsibility to keep their kid from running into the road, even if they are very young.
If the community hall had had a stairwell and the kid climbed over the railing and fell would it be the fault of the community hall for only having waist high railings instead of floor to ceiling? No. Because we do not have an expectation that every public venue will be 100% childproofed. Because the expectation is that children in public places will be supervised.
The parents took their kid into public. They weren't forced to go to the wedding and they weren't forced to take their kid. They could have gotten a sitter if they wanted to be able to focus on the party instead of their child's wellbeing. They let the kid out of their sight for a significant period of time. The kid started climbing on something they they obviously shouldn't have been climbing on and damaged it. Therefore the parents are responsible.