18-year-old man dies after falling from Central Park horse carriage
The incident took place eight days after another horse died in the park.
An 18-year-old man died Wednesday after falling from a horse carriage in Central Park, police said.
Police confirmed the death to New York City ABC station WABC, which reported the man was a tourist visiting the city with his family.
The Transport Workers Union of America, the union representing the carriage horse drivers, said in a statement the carriage driver was "at least at arm’s length from his horse to take a photo of his passengers in the carriage," when the horse took off "for unknown reasons."
The carriage clipped the wheel of another carriage and toppled, according to TWU Local 100 Administrative Vice President Alexander Kemp.
The unidentified 18-year-old victim was transported to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center after he fell from the horse around 2:47 p.m., police said. He later succumbed to his injuries, according to police
The horse had only been in the park six weeks, Kemp said. An investigation is ongoing.
Kemp said drivers are not supposed to leave the carriage to take photos and said the union supports a "full investigation."
Kemp said in a statement that the union was deeply troubled by the incident.
No other persons were injured, according to the police. The status of the horse was not immediately known.
Wednesday's incident took place eight days after another horse died in the park while carrying passengers.
On June 9, another horse, Deniz, that was carrying two passengers and a driver, collapsed and died during a ride in the park near East 90th Street. None of the people in the carriage were seriously injured.
A necropsy released Tuesday by TWU, revealed before it died, the horse ate a Japanese yew, an ornamental plant that is toxic and deadly to horses, that was along the curb.
TWU pushed back against increased calls from groups, including the Central Park Conservancy, to ban horse-drawn carriages in the park.
The Central Park Conservancy said in a statement Wednesday that its thoughts are victim.
"That this frightening situation is just days after the previous one underscores the dangers posed by horse carriages to park visitors, carriage drivers, and the horses themselves," they said in a statement.
Prior to Wednesday's incident, there have been seven carriage-horse-related incidents in the last 13 months within the park's vicinity, including one in January where a horse dashed into traffic and crashed into cars, according to the Central Park Conservancy.
Kemp said in a statement the union supported some reforms including "enhanced driving training, tougher examinations with a practical component demonstrating proficiency, and rules governing the introduction of new horses into the business."
The statement added: "Thousands upon thousands of rides are taken without incident but steps must be taken to prevent accidents like this," he added.
-ABC News' Jason Volack, Matt Foster and Benjamin Stein contributed to this report.
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