New York: In a tragic incident at one of New York City’s most iconic spots, a teenage visitor from India died while trying to rescue his mother after she was ejected from a horse-drawn carriage when its horse suddenly bolted in Central Park.
Eighteen-year-old Romanch Mahajan, who was in New York for the first time with his family, turned a leisurely carriage ride into a terrifying ordeal on Wednesday, agencies reported.
The chaos began after the carriage driver halted to photograph the family. Almost immediately, the horse surged forward, charging onto the sidewalk and then across a grassy stretch at high speed, while the driver chased behind in a desperate bid to control it.
The crash took place around 3 pm, when the 18-year-old victim was aboard the carriage with three other people. As the cab careened out of control, two of them were also thrown from it.
Footage of the i
ncident has appeared on social media. One video shows the carriage horse bolting through the park as two people seem to jump out. In another clip, the cab is seen overturning after it strikes the wheels of another carriage along the park’s busy loop.
As the runaway carriage careened out of control, family members clung to one another for safety. When Romanch’s mother, Priya, was thrown from the carriage, the teenager instantly leaped out to reach her. He succumbed to his injuries after being rushed to the hospital in critical condition, reports said.
The tragedy marks the latest in a string of mishaps tied to carriage horses in the park.
The accident has triggered criticism from the union representing carriage drivers. Alexander Kemp, vice president of the Transport Workers Union Local 100, said preliminary information indicated the driver had stepped away from the horse.
“It appears the driver was at least an arm’s length away from the horse,” Kemp said in a statement. “This should never have happened. Drivers are not permitted to leave their carriage to take photographs under any circumstances. We support a thorough investigation into the incident.”
Kemp further noted that the driver, whose name has not yet been released, has been suspended indefinitely by the carriage owner pending the investigation’s outcome.
The accident has once again sparked demands from animal welfare groups and industry critics to ban horse-drawn carriages from the park. Manhattan currently operates more than 100 carriage horses.