Museum visitor trips, breaks Chinese vases

Monday, January 30, 2006; Posted: 8:57 a.m. EST (13:57 GMT)

CAMBRIDGE, England (AP) -- A museum visitor shattered three Qing dynasty Chinese vases when he tripped on his shoelace, stumbled down a stairway and brought the vases crashing to the floor, officials said Monday.

The three vases, dating from the late 17th or early 18th century, had been donated to The Fitzwilliam Museum in the university city of Cambridge in 1948, and were among its best-known artifacts. They had been sitting proudly on the window sill beside the staircase for 40 years.

"It was a most unfortunate and regrettable accident, but we are glad that the visitor involved was able to leave the museum unharmed," said Duncan Robinson, the Fitzwilliam's director.

The museum declined to identify the man who had tripped on a loose shoelace Wednesday.

Asked about the porcelain vases, Margaret Greeves, the museum's assistant director, said: "They are in very, very small pieces, but we are determined to put them back together."

The museum declined to say what the vases were worth.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe....ap/index.html



Taking bets on if this guy will somehow manage to sue the museum...

Museum visitor trips, breaks Chinese vases

Monday, January 30, 2006; Posted: 8:57 a.m. EST (13:57 GMT)

CAMBRIDGE, England (AP) -- A museum visitor shattered three Qing dynasty Chinese vases when he tripped on his shoelace, stumbled down a stairway and brought the vases crashing to the floor, officials said Monday.

The three vases, dating from the late 17th or early 18th century, had been donated to The Fitzwilliam Museum in the university city of Cambridge in 1948, and were among its best-known artifacts. They had been sitting proudly on the window sill beside the staircase for 40 years.

"It was a most unfortunate and regrettable accident, but we are glad that the visitor involved was able to leave the museum unharmed," said Duncan Robinson, the Fitzwilliam's director.

The museum declined to identify the man who had tripped on a loose shoelace Wednesday.

Asked about the porcelain vases, Margaret Greeves, the museum's assistant director, said: "They are in very, very small pieces, but we are determined to put them back together."

The museum declined to say what the vases were worth.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe....ap/index.html



Taking bets on if this guy will somehow manage to sue the museum...

I'd love to see a video of that.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by HIHUMMER:
Taking bets on if this guy will somehow manage to sue the museum... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

If it had happened in the US you could count on it

Oh here we go. I see some serious diplomatic trouble starting over this.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by HIHUMMER:

Taking bets on if this guy will somehow manage to sue the museum... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Don't forget he will sue the shoe manufacturer and the shoelace supplier aswell. And if he has a really good lawyer he will sue McDonalds since those 5 breakfast sammichs he ate before going to the musem caused him to have a high blood suger spike and made him dizzy...

[Homer Simpson voice ON]

Dooohhhh!!!

[/Homer Simpson Voice OFF]

That had to suck. Can you say "mortified"?

"Oops. My bad".

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by alldunn:
I'd love to see a video of that. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That would make a great Southwest "Wanna get away?" ad.