Thursday, August 16, 2012

Carriage Horse Accident (VIDEO) #NYC

A motorist, possibly the driver of a limousine, crashed into a carriage horse this afternoon near Columbus Circle in New York City, "knocking over the carriage and sending the horse fleeing through the streets," reported The Gothamist. The New York Times reported that at the time of the accident, the horse carriage had been carrying two people. "The carriage was broken into pieces following the crash," reported the local CBS news affiliate. Most, if not all, operators of horse-drawn carriages do not provide or mandate the use of seat belts, helmets, knee pads, elbow pads, or other protective gear in the open-air carriages with must navigate through busy, and speedy, traffic through Midtown Manhattan.

Carriage Horse Being Restrained After Crash from Gothamist on Vimeo.

"One witness, Sayed Elgandi, who works in a juice stand, said the red and white carriage overturned at the intersection of Broadway and West 60th Street with a man and a woman who appeared to be in their 30s inside. Mr. Elgandi said that he and other bystanders rushed over and helped right the carriage and pull out the man and woman. He said they were both taken to the hospital but did not appear to be seriously injured," reported The New York Times.

"The runaway horse went down in the roadway of Ninth Avenue after being shot with a tranquilizer dart, but later stood up and was loaded into a police truck," reported the City Room blog of The New York Times.

Horse-Drawn-Carriage-Traffic-Accident-NYC-16-Aug-2012, The NY Horse and Carriage Association, Mayor Bloomberg and Christine Quinn want you to believe taking a carriage ride is a safe and romantic tourist attraction. Huh?!

Animal rights activists, who have been putting pressure on the New York City Council to pass legislation to support the safety and wellbeing of horses by banning horse-drawn carriages, point to Speaker Christine Quinn for blocking any meaningful animal rights protection legislation.

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