The Answer:
Adam is absolved from paying for the destroyed bouquets.
Detailed Explanation
Flower Foul invokes the following Halachos.
T.L. C. Trustee Liability Chart
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Negligence
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Theft/Loss not due to negligence
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Unforeseen &
incontrollable accidents
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Damage in course of normal use
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1. no benefit
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Unpaid trustee
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Liable
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Absolved
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Absolved
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Liable
(may not use it)
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2a. partial benefit
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Paid trustee
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Liable
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Liable
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Absolved
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Liable
(may not use it)
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2b. partial benefit
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Renter
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Liable
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Liable
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Absolved
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Absolved
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3. absolute benefit
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Borrower
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Liable
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Liable
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Liable
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Absolved
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The Paid trustee, or shomer sachar, has limited benefit from the service provided.
While he/she benefits from the payment for his/her supervision of the property, he/she nonetheless is not authorized to make personal use of it. With limited benefit, he/she correspondingly assumes limited liability. In exchange for the payment that his/her service demands, he/she accepts the responsibility of protecting the property from theft and loss and is liable to pay in the event of such an occurrence.
In contrast to a borrower who has complete benefit from the article and as such is liable even for uncontrollable accidents (i.e. armed robbers), the shomer sachar is absolved from paying for damages or losses due to unforeseen incontrollable accidents [Shemos. 22:9-11].
The Renter or a socher, also has limited benefit from the article.
While personal use of the property is authorized, he/she pays a fee. Again, limited benefit corresponds to limited liability. His/her limited liabilities mirror those of the paid trustee. He/she accepts the responsibility of protecting the property from theft and loss and is liable to pay in the event of such an occurrence. However he/she is absolved from paying for damages or losses due to unforeseen incontrollable accidents [Choshen Mishpat 307:1].
The borrower enjoys complete benefit from the article
The borrower enjoys complete benefit as he/she may use the article free of charge. Complete benefit corresponds to a heightened degree of liability. The borrower accepts the responsibility to return the article or compensate for its loss, come what may, even if the damage or loss was incontrollable, spare one that results from normal usage of the article [Choshen Mishpat 340:1; Sha"ch - Choshen Mishpat 340:3].
Application
To hold Adam liable for compensating Forest Florist for the incontrollable accident that occurred, one would have to establish that Adam mirrored a borrower as he was receiving complete benefit from the ability to sell the flowers, without Forest Flowers receiving benefit from his work. An example would be, if Forest Flowers could have easily sold all of those bouquets from their store without Adam's work and were simply allowing Adam to profit from the ability to sell them on the street corner.
Otherwise, if Forest Florist needed or benefitted from Adam's service to improve or raise their sales and/or income, Adam alone was not benefiting from his handling of the flowers. As both Adam and Forest Florist benefitted from Adam's handling the flowers, Adam would be viewed as a paid trustee, who enjoys a limited benefit, and is thus absolved from compensating for incontrollable accidents [Choshen Mishpat 186: 2].
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