Family of teen killed in tragic Central Park horse and buggy mishap to sue NYC for $105M
The family of the 18-year-old tourist who was killed during a Central Park carriage ride will sue the city for $105 million — claiming a freak electrical current made the horse bolt.Romanch Majahan’s kin maintains the teen was thrown to his death after the horse got spooked by the stray voltage and took off as the driver snapped a photo of the family, who were visiting from India, according to documents cited by The New York Times.The notice of claim — a document announcing an intent to sue — was filed Friday, citing Con Edison and several city agencies, the Times reported.It claims the utility and Big Apple officials knew there was a “stray voltage” problem at the site before the June 17 tragedy, yet failed to address it, according to the report.The filing comes as the City Council weighs a ban on the historic carriage rides, which have been part of the Manhattan landscape for well over a century.Mahajan, his parents and his 11-year-old brother had arrived from India for a dream vacation just three days before the teen was tossed from a buggy, smashed his head on the ground and died.He fell while trying to catch his mom, who was also thrown from the runaway carriage but survived, relatives have said.Her son’s death was captured on heart-pounding video footage that showed the carriage driver chasing the horse and buggy in vain before it struck a curb and toppled over.Con Ed spokesman Jamie McShane told The Times that the utility had “observed very low levels of stray voltage on July 16 and July 23,” but determined that it was not coming from their equipment.The city Law Department declined to comment and said it was reviewing the document.The tragic mishap came amid a yearslong debate over the carriages, and added fuel to the push by animal rights activists and others to ban them.
“These incidents demonstrate that it’s time to chart a better path forward that addresses animal welfare and public safety, and also ensures the livelihood and eco...