Central Park carriage horse gets loose, killing 18-year-old tourist visiting NYC

CENTRAL PARK, Manhattan (WABC) — An 18-year-old tourist visiting New York City with his family was killed when a Central Park carriage horse got loose and took off in the park on Wednesday afternoon, throwing him from the carriage.

It happened near Tavern on the Green around 2:45 p.m. Police say the 18-year-old man, a tourist visiting the city, fell from the horse carriage and was taken to Weill Cornell Medical Center in critical condition, and later died from his injuries.

He was part of a family that was getting back into the carriage when the horse named Sampson got spooked and took off. It’s unclear how many family members were actually in the carriage when Sampson took off.

“It happened so quickly they didn’t have a chance to think about running or getting out of there,” said witness Ron Pobuda.

The video shows a person being thrown from the speeding carriage.

The carriage driver was not in the carriage at the time, and, according to a statement from TWU Local 100 Administrative Vice President Alexander Kemp, it appeared the driver was “at least at arm’s length from his horse to take a photo of his passengers in the carriage.”

He said that the horse, which had been in the park for only six weeks, took off for unknown reasons. The carriage clipped the wheel of another carriage and toppled on its side with people still inside. It appeared a small child was among the group

“We are devastated that a passenger died after injuries suffered today in the accident in Central Park, and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family. 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,” Kemp said in a statement after learning of the victim’s death.

Kemp also said it’s the union’s understanding that the carriage owner has suspended the driver indefinitely and the horse will be retired from the business. He called the driver’s actions “unacceptable.”

“A driver is not supposed to leave the carriage to take photos – ever. We support a full investigation. We also support enhanced driving training, tougher examinations with a practical component demonstrating proficiency, and rules governing the introduction of new horses into the business. We also support installing hitching posts throughout the park. Thousands upon thousands of rides are taken without incident, but steps must be taken to prevent accidents like this,” he said.

The horse is said to be OK.

The Central Park Conservancy, which supports a ban on horse carriages, released a statement saying, in part, that they are “absolutely devastated” to learn of the death of the 18-year-old tourist on Wednesday.

“On behalf of everyone at the Central Park Conservancy, our deepest condolences go out to his family and loved ones during this unimaginable time,” the statement said. “This is the tragedy we feared when we first called last year for horse carriages to be banned from Central Park due to the risks they pose to public safety and public health. A young man came to enjoy our park and lost his life. 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.

“We renew our call for New York City to pass Ryder’s Law, which would ban horse carriages and provide transitional job placement services for drivers. Every day horse carriages are in the park is a day the safety of New Yorkers and visitors is in jeopardy.”

It comes just over a week after a carriage horse named Deniz died while carrying passengers in the park.

His death was determined to be a result of eating a toxic plant, but it has still renewed calls to end carriage horses in New York City.

PETA Director Ashley Byrne released a statement in response to Wednesday’s incident, and the previous one, saying “From collapsing horses to careening carriages, how many more disasters have to strike before we get these beleaguered horses out of the park? For everyone’s safety, PETA is calling on council members, Health Committee Chair Lynn Schulman, and Speaker Julie Menin to stop dithering and pass Ryder’s Law immediately.”

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