NEW YORK — A tragic incident unfolded in Central Park on Wednesday afternoon when an 18-year-old man suffered critical injuries after being thrown from a runaway horse-drawn carriage. The young man, who was visiting the city as a tourist, later succumbed to his injuries, according to police reports.
The accident occurred around 2:45 p.m. near the well-known restaurant, Tavern on the Green. Police revealed that the young man fell from the carriage and was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Witnesses at the scene recounted that a family of four was in the process of reboarding the carriage when the horse, named Sampson, was suddenly startled and bolted away.
Footage captured at the scene shows the carriage accelerating uncontrollably, leading to the young man being ejected from it before the carriage ultimately toppled onto its side.
Video shows a person thrown from the speeding carriage and then the carriage flipping on its side.
The carriage driver was not in the carriage at the time and it appears he was trying to help the family get back in when it happened.
The union representing horse carriage drivers said Sampson’s driver did not see or hear anything that could have spooked the horse.
The horse is said to be OK.
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.
The Central Park conservancy, which supports a ban of the horse carriages, released the following statement:
“As details of today’s incident come into focus, our thoughts are with the injured. 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. The Central Park Conservancy renews its call to ban carriages in Central Park as a matter of public safety and public health. We hope today’s injuries are the last we ever see.”
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