Horse Drawn Carriage Accident

A recent accident involving a horse drawn carriage carrying three tourists (including a baby), and a taxicab has New Yorkers buzzing once again about whether or not horse drawn carriages should be allowed on any streets. For the most part, horse drawn carriages in New York stick to the paved park roads, but they do pick up their passages along the sides of Central Park, which is apparently where this accident occurred.

According to the Daily News, the horse drawn carriage was hit by a taxi just before midnight on Monday July 25. The baby was thrown out of the carriage; the horse was knocked to the street when the buggy flipped on its side and the driver of the carriage was taken to a nearby hospital with head injuries.

The passengers and the horse all suffered minor injuries and were treated at a nearby hospital and then released. The horse sustained cuts and bruises but was well enough to return to his normal barn. The driver is expected to recover.

The taxi driver, apparently was in the middle land of Central Park South when it struck the horse drawn carriage. The driver, however, claims that he was in the far right land and was unable to stop when the carriage pulled out in front of him.

Regardless of where the taxi driver actually was, how fast was he going? To me, that remain the critical question and all the more reason for carriage horses to remain in the park, on roads without cars.

Better for the horses. Safer for passengers and drivers, but probably not as lucrative. And there, my friends is the reason that people continue to put animals, themselves and others in danger. Enough.