The death of a teen in a horse-drawn carriage accident renews call for bans.
New York City, NY — On July 27, a memorial tribute was held in Central Park for Romanch Mahajan after a horse-drawn carriage accident. Mahajan’s death has renewed efforts from City Council members to ban horse-drawn carriages from Central Park.
On June 17, 18-year-old tourist Romanch Mahajan and his family, visiting from India, were taking a horse-drawn carriage ride through the park. While the carriage was stopped and the family was posing for photos, the horse bolted. Mahajan was trying to help his mother, who’d been thrown from the carriage, when he followed her to the ground and suffered a fatal head injury.
This tragedy highlights the risk of this beloved New York ritual of a horse-drawn carriage ride through the park, which has existed in Central Park for 165 years. Other recent Central Park accidents have included runaway carriages, collisions between carriages, and the deaths of two horses. The advocacy group Ban Horse Drawn Carriages stated there have been 121 accidents since 1982.
Current carriage rules do exist for those operating in Central Park. However, they are primarily focused on when carriages can operate (including weather requirements for high and low temperature limits), passenger limits (capped at four adults), costs per ride, five weeks off per year for each individual horse, and the veterinary treatment and vaccination of the horses.
The union for horse-drawn carriage drivers has proposed stronger safety measures. The proposed legislative response, though, would focus on phasing out horse-drawn carriages and imposing a complete ban by June 1, 2028. One proposed version of the ban would include assistance in helping drivers transition to other jobs.
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