Museum Visitor Trips, Breaks Chinese Vases

[northzax]

from the D'OH files...

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.

read more...http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/01/30/britain.museum.ap/index.html

[EstimatedProphet]

1. I didn't know Homer Simpson was in Cambridge

[Montauk6]

2. I thought Gerald Ford was in the hospital.

[underpants]

3. CLOUSEAU!!!!!!!!!!!

:bounce:

[HEyHEY]

8. Ha, I was gonna say that

[azmouse]

4. I feel sorry for the guy that did it!

It sounds soooo much like something that would happen to me.

[henslee]

5. I am sure it is on video tape.

[Deja Q]

6. Well, that's what insurance - and dumb musuem owners - are for...

1 to pay for the damage, and the other to forget details like keeping vases behind glass if they're really that valuable... duh.

Define value; it's a piece of molded clay. Value is subjective, just like how many laws being made today are. :D

[Radical Activist]

7. Earlier during the trip the visitor awkwardly tried to open a locked door.

[Love Bug]

9. I like this statement:

"It was a most unfortunate and regrettable accident, but we are glad that the visitor involved was able to leave the museum unharmed"

Makes you wonder if they had to protect him from the docents!

[JVS]

12. There is nothing as horrific as when a museum crowd becomes a raging mob!

[Richardo]

10. I'm sorry but I'm laughing my ass off...

The mental imagery is hilarious.

And yes, I could easily see myself in the role of the hapless visitor.

[tigereye]

11. oh! that is so sad!

I'm surprised some insurer didn't have a floor plan of how to avoid such an event...