An 18-year-old has died following a harrowing incident in Central Park where a horse-drawn carriage bolted, throwing him and other passengers to the ground.
The New York Police Department confirmed the teenager’s death after he was initially hospitalized in critical condition.
The accident occurred just before 3 p.m. on Wednesday. The 18-year-old was one of four passengers in the carriage when the horse suddenly took off, causing at least two individuals to be ejected from the careening vehicle.
A representative for the Transport Workers Union, which represents carriage industry employees, stated that the driver had dismounted to take a photograph of his passengers, an action they are not permitted to do. The other passengers involved in the incident reportedly refused medical treatment at the scene.
The horse had been in the park for only six weeks, according to Alexander Kemp, the administrative vice president of the union’s local chapter. He said he wants a full investigation.
“Safety in the park has been a growing concern among many, and improvements are needed to be made with respect to all vehicles, including e-bicycles, delivery vehicles, pedicabs, and horse-drawn carriages,” he said in a statement.
Video showed the horse sprinting through the park as two people appeared to jump from the four-wheeled carriage. A second video shows the cab toppling over after clipping the wheels of another carriage on the park’s busy loop.
It’s a fraught moment for Central Park’s 150-year-old horse-drawn carriage industry, which is facing the growing threat of a ban from opponents who say the rides are both inhumane to horses and a danger to city residents.
Wednesday’s event follows several recent horse-related problems in the park, including the fatal collapse of a horse last week.
The Central Park Conservancy, the nonprofit which operates the park and came out last summer in support of banning horse-drawn carriages, said the back-to-back events should bring an end to the industry.
“A young man came to enjoy our park and lost his life,” the group said in a statement. “That is not an acceptable cost of an antiquated industry operating in the middle of one of the most heavily used public spaces in America.”
