Runaway NYC carriage horse runs into traffic, crashes into vehicles in Midtown
There are renewed calls for action on a law to ban horse carriages in New York City after a runaway carriage horse crashed into several vehicles in Midtown last week.
Video provided by NYCLASS on Monday shows a startled animal running out of Central Park and into traffic on Sixth Avenue in Midtown last Thursday.
Police say the incident happened just before 11:30 a.m. and four or five unattended vehicles were struck.
The union that represents horse carriage drivers, TWU Local 100, said what happened falls short of their standards.
They said the driver said he was standing near the horse when the animal was startled by a fast-moving delivery vehicle. Officials say the union is now evaluating what internal actions will be taken regarding the driver.
No injuries were reported, however advocates pointed out the history of similar incidents and said there have already been far too many.
"These violent incidents keeps happening because forcing horses attached to carriages into chaotic city streets is fundamentally incompatible with their nature. It is not going to change," said Edita Birnkrant, Executive Director of NYCLASS. "People have already been injured, including carriage passengers, carriage drivers, and pedestrians and many have had to run for their lives to avoid being trampled."
Ryder's Law would phase out horse-drawn carriages, but it is stalled in the City Council.
NYCLASS is calling on the Mamdani administration to move forward with the ban, calling its passage "long overdue."
The TWU Local 100 Administrative Vice President released a statement in response to NYCLASS calling for a carriage horse ban:
"Special interest groups have been trying to ban carriage horses for nearly two decades. It's time to turn the page and come together to improve even further the good care the horses currently receive while also protecting carriage-driver jobs by which an overwhelmingly immigrant workforce puts food on the table and takes care of their families."
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