Accidents happen, that's life. I would guess that the owner of the awning has no problem covering the cost of any damage.
I own 2 EZ-ups, both 12'x14'. Sometimes use one, sometimes use both, sometimes use none (and no, it's not because I left my awning out and it got destroyed; I use my RV awning next to the RV; my EZ-Ups are for other areas). Usually I stake them down, although not always. Really depends on where I am setting them up, length of time they will be up, and the likelihood of any wind during that time. And BTW, awnings can and sometimes do get picked up by wind gusts even when staked down and even when NOT left unattended. And yes, that also applies to RV awnings.
