Central Park horse carriage rides suspended until Tuesday in wake of tourist death
There will be no horse carriage rides in Central Park until Tuesday in the wake of a tourist's tragic death when a carriage overturned earlier this week, according to the union representing carriage drivers.
The TWU Local 100 said Friday a "safety stand-down" would be in place over the weekend so drivers can participate in group meetings to go over safety rules and protocols. Additional safety training will be conducted Monday.
Romanch Mahajan dies in horse carriage accident
The ride suspension comes after Romanch Mahajan, an 18-year-old tourist visiting New York City from India, was thrown from a carriage and killed Wednesday.
Mahajan was in the carriage with his family when, according to a TWU Local 100 official, the driver got out to take a photo of the passengers.
The horse then got spooked and ran off, while the driver chased after it. Mahajan's family managed to jump out safely, but Mahajan was still inside when the carriage clipped another horse carriage and overturned.
Mahajan was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition and was pronounced dead a few hours later.
Reaction to deadly horse carriage crash
In a statement Friday, TWU Local 100 Administrative Vice President Alexander Kemp said:
"Our hearts go out the family of Romanch Mahajan. Words can't express the enormity of this tragedy. We are taking the first steps towards address safety issues.
"Carriage rides have been a Central Park experience since it opened in 1858, and the City issued the first carriage horse medallions in the late 1940s. This is believed to be the first passenger fatality in all that time, but we are committed to a Vision Zero approach where we do all that we can, collaborating with the City, to improve safety and prevent any accidents from occurring as we move forward."
Kemp previously stated that carriage drivers are never supposed to leave the carriage to take photos. The union said the carriage owner suspended the driver indefinitely and planned to retire the horse, which had only been in the park for six weeks.
The incident prompted renewed calls to pass Ryder's Law, which would ban horse carriages in the city. It failed to pass in a City Council committee hearing back in November, but Council Speaker Julie Menin said she plans to hold another hearing on the bill in July.
TWU Local 100, meanwhile, is supporting a bill called Intro 937, which calls for the installation of hitching posts throughout the park, increasing carriage driver training, and changes to horse carriage service during the summer and on hot days. The bill also calls for a study that would look into the best health practices for horses.
