18-year-old dies – An 18-year-old teenager died after a horse bolted away from its driver in New York’s Central Park Wednesday just before 3 p.m. Police say he was thrown to the ground and hospitalized in critical condition. The driver had dismounted briefly to take a photograph
Just before 3 p.m. Wednesday, a Central Park carriage horse bolted away from its driver—then the park’s busy loop turned into a scene of sudden chaos.
The teenager riding in the carriage was thrown to the ground and, police said, later died. The New York Police Department said the 18-year-old was traveling with three other passengers when the accident happened.
He was initially hospitalized in critical condition. The other passengers refused medical treatment.
Video captured the horse sprinting through the park as two people appeared to jump from the four-wheeled carriage. Another video shows the cab toppling over after it clipped the wheels of another carriage on the park’s loop.
For the Transport Workers Union, which represents carriage industry employees, the details have sharpened the scrutiny. A representative for the union said the horse had been in the park for only six weeks.
The driver had dismounted to take a photograph of his passengers, Alexander Kemp, the administrative vice president of the union’s local chapter, said. “A driver is not supposed to leave the carriage to take photos — ever,” Kemp said. “We support a full investigation.”
Wednesday’s death landed on top of growing public unease about the horse-drawn carriage industry in Central Park. The event came amid pressure from opponents who argue that the rides are inhumane to horses and dangerous for city residents.
The ride industry is also reeling from last week’s fatal horse collapse in the park.
The Central Park Conservancy—an organization that operates the park and supported a ban on horse-drawn carriages last summer—said the back-to-back events should end the industry. In a statement. the group said. “That this frightening situation is just days after the previous one underscores the dangers posed by horse carriages to Park visitors. carriage drivers. and the horses themselves.” It added: “We hope today’s injuries are the last we ever see.”.
As investigators examine what led to the bolt and whether proper procedures were followed in the moments before it happened, Central Park’s carriage rides are once again at the center of an argument that has moved from debate to urgency.
Central Park horse-drawn carriage NYC Transport Workers Union Alexander Kemp New York Police Department horse bolted carriage industry ban