Posted on 02/06/2006 7:34:47 AM PST by presidio9
A man who tripped, fell down a staircase and smashed into three rare Chinese vases in a museum two weeks ago said on Monday "it was just a regrettable accident."
"I snagged my shoelace, missed the step and 'crash bang wallop,' there was a million pieces of high quality Qing ceramics lying around beneath me," Nick Flynn told BBC radio.
"There is no way my pocket will stretch to reimburse them for the damage that I have done".
A regular visitor to the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, Flynn, 42, expressed surprise the three vases had not been secured in some way.
"They were just left lying on the window sill."
The vases, dating from the late 17th or early 18th century, were donated to the museum in 1948 and were one of its most recognisable exhibits.
Shocked but determined museum staff have vowed to glue the pieces back together again and take steps to ensure a similar accident doesn't happen again.
"I have had a letter from a Duncan Robinson," Flynn said. "He is the director of the Fitzwilliam Museum, and he has written to me asking me not to visit the museum again in the near future."
Flynn, who is single and receives disability benefit following a bike accident, explained he is still sore after the tumble, which happened last month, and that regular staff have not harboured a grudge.
"I think this is just the directors or trustees because they seem to have got egg on their faces," he suggested.
Police have ruled out malicious damage. -- http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/other_news/&articleid=263463
So Nick "The Bull" Flynn apologizes. They should have protected them better.
Somehow to me, I get the impression that this guy does not seem very remorseful for what he did? He seems to be making a joke about what had happened? It may have been an accident, but still, why seemingly joke about what you did? Pretty crass if you ask me!
Wow, he trips, falls down a set of stairs and breaks some vases. He says it is a regrettable accident. Yep, sounds like he's not sorry.
What do you want him to say or do?
What can you say after something like that? Ooops?
So, he's disabled. He probably said you don't come after me for the $175,000, and I won't sue you for injuries sustained in the fall.
What specifically makes you think this?
Gotta be careful about that. You can't read inflection, intonation, or emotion into a written sentence. The kind of thinking that believes it can is what leads to most flame wars.
Exactly. Leaving rare, fragile vases out unprotected like that was is not a bright move on the museum's part. Accidents happen but this time I'd say the responsibility lies with the museum for not using it's collective brain.
Lucky bastard.
I guess just reading what he said in the post and the referenced article. I blame the museum completely for what had happened, because if it was not this guy, it could have been children playing that broke them.
But still, if I had broke them, I probably would try to sound more remorseful, and would not say things that would appear that I laughing about it inside of me. sorry, this is the impression I got.
I can't believe the museum director did this. It's just blame shifting. Does he think that by keeping this guy out, it will protect the museum from other accidents by other people? How insulting to this guy. I'd be pretty ticked id I got a letter from the museum director like this. There's no call for it.
I think that it's just a matter of how some people react while under stress or nervous. They say things they don't really mean, or that don't come out sounding like they intend. Some people giggle at inappropriate times. I know a woman who was prone to nervous laughter and it drove her husband nuts, but that's the way she dealt with stress; it was no indication of her perception of the seriousness of the situation.
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Y'know, I used to pull stunts like this in high school to try to cop cheap feels off the cheerleaders. |
Who wants to vist that crummy museum anyway? Their vase collection stinks!
These look just like the vases for sale at the 99¢ store on Main Street. Think I 'll go down and buy a pair and send them to the museum as replacements. Who'll know?
FWIW, I know Mr Robinson vaguely- couple of people I know have been taught by him in the past- and he's a relatively prickly character. I wouldn't want to get on his wrong side... A friend of his said that he'd had a pretty frustrating day in London when all this happened, got back to find one hell of a mess and then exploded at everyone around. Sounded quite entertaining actually!
Presidio9- I guess their vase collection's pretty rubbish now, anyway... The Fitzwilliam museum's great actually, some really interesting stuff in there. Well worth visiting if you're every in Cambridge.
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