Horse-drawn carriage rides in Central Park were temporarily suspended after a deadly accident involving a runaway carriage. Officials ordered all rides to stop in the wake of the incident. On the day after, not a single horse-drawn carriage could be seen rolling through the park.
The accident killed an 18-year-old tourist who was visiting from India. He was identified as Romanik Mahajan. According to authorities, he was thrown from the carriage after the horse was spooked and suddenly ran off.
The accident happened in a very busy section of Central Park. It unfolded in an area used by visitors and tourists throughout the day. The sudden nature of the incident left those nearby shaken as emergency crews responded.
Investigators have since pointed to a breach of the rules as the trigger. According to officials, the driver stepped away from the carriage to take a photo for the family, and it was at that moment, with no one holding the reins, that the horse took off. The driver, who has not been publicly identified, was meant to remain with the carriage at all times.
Officials moved to halt the rides, ordering all carriage operations to temporarily stop. The carriage union suspended operations a day after the accident. The decision brought an unusual quiet to a part of the park long associated with the carriages.
The carriage rides are now set to resume on Tuesday, with the union having temporarily stopped the controversial trips in the meantime. Before the rides return, drivers will take a safety training course over the weekend meant to help prevent another disaster. The union is also pushing for hitching posts to be installed throughout the park so the horses can be secured, and representatives for the industry framed the tragedy as a springboard to make the trade safer.
The death immediately renewed calls for the carriage horse industry to be banned permanently. Advocacy groups including PETA and NY Class have long pushed to put an end to the horse-drawn carriage trade. They pointed to the accident as further reason for their campaign.
The latest accident followed another troubling incident in recent days. Last week, a horse that ate a poisonous plant collapsed in Central Park and died. Together, the events have intensified the debate over the future of the carriage horses, and the city council is now set to hold a hearing next month on whether the rides should be permanently banned.