Teen Dies in Central Park After Fall from Horse Carriage

An 18-year-old male was killed after a runaway horse drawn carriage overturned in Central Park on June 17 shortly after 2:45 p.m., tossing him to the pavement where he sustained a serious head injury.

Police said he was rushed to Weill Cornell Medical Central but was pronounced deceased later that evening. The other three passengers were unharmed.

The accident happened around W. 71st and Center Drive when the driver disembarked to take a photo of the four passengers and the horse bolted, causing the runaway carriage to overturn. Video of the scene showed the carriage tettering on two wheels as the spooked horse bolted with his drive running after him.

The tragic incident is once again firing up the debate on the future of carriage horses in Central Park as animal rights activist push to ban carriage horses with a city council bill known as Ryders Law, named for a carriage horse that died.

Lower East Side Council Member Chris Marte had recently introduced a new bill to pass Ryder’s Law after it stalled in committee last year.

“I am heartbroken by reports that an 18-year-old has died after being thrown from a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park,” said Marte “My deepest condolences are with the victim’s family, loved ones, and everyone grieving this unimaginable loss.

“This was a preventable death,” Marte said. “For years, New Yorkers have warned that horse-drawn carriages are unsafe for passengers, workers, pedestrians, parkgoers, and the horses themselves...We cannot allow this to be treated as another isolated incident. The Council must act with the urgency this tragedy demands and pass Ryder’s Law to end horse-drawn carriages in New York City.”

The Transport Workers Union, which represents carriage horse drivers, was critical of the driver in a statement released before the teen was pronounced dead. “This is unacceptable,” said Alexander Kemp, administrative vice president of TWU Local 100. “A driver is not supposed to leave the carriage to take photos--ever.

”We support enhanced driving training, tougher examinations with a particular 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,” Kemp said.

A carriage horse named Deniz died suddenly on June 9 while pulling tourists through Central Park.

The Transport Workers Union has been pushing back against claims that the horse was a victim of abuse. The union said results of a necropsy this week showed that Deniz died from consuming a poisonous Japanese Yew plant in the park.

“Deniz’s tragic death was not caused by neglect or abuse or the fact he was a carriage horse–as some animal rights activists and elected officials claimed,” TWU VP Kemp said in a statement.

“Poor Deniz died because the people running the Park Conservancy never warned anyone that there were deadly yew plants in the park. This is negligence at the highest level of the Conservancy,” Kemp added.