An 18-year-old has died following a violent crash involving a runaway horse carriage in Central Park in New York City on Wednesday afternoon. The NYPD confirmed the young man’s death several hours after the horse bolted away from its driver, leaving its passengers unable to slow the ride until the horse eventually crashed into another carriage near Tavern on the Green, a popular restaurant.

Cell phone video captured the collision. The impact of the crash toppled the carriage onto its side, sending the 18-year-old passenger out and onto the ground. Police said the young man smacked his head against the pavement and was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition. He ultimately died from his injuries.

Investigation and Reaction

Officers said the rest of the family members inside the carriage only had minor injuries. Another horse carriage driver worker said she received a call about the crash and rushed to the scene to help out. Christina Hansen said she checked on the animal and tied the horse to a nearby pole.

The Transport Workers Union, which oversees the horse carriage industry, said it supported a “full investigation” of the incident. Alexander Kemp, administrative vice president of TWU Local 100, said in a statement, “It appears the driver was at least at arm’s length from his horse to take a photo of his passengers in the carriage. The horse, which had been in the park for only six weeks, took off for unknown reasons.”

This incident in Central Park comes one week after a 16-year-old horse named Deniz died from reportedly eating a toxic plant lining the park. The Central Park Conservancy referenced last week’s tragedy in its statement, reiterating their call to ban horse carriages in the park.

Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.