Horses and carriages in city traffic... A scene that's always made me a little nervous. It's a disaster that doesn't go wrong as often as it really could.
Posted on 01/03/2006 7:23:31 AM PST by Calpernia
A horse-drawn carriage driver was hospitalized in critical condition after the animal bolted for blocks through midtown Manhattan, crashing into a station wagon and leaving the man in a pool of blood, witnesses and police said.
"It was horrifying,'' said Robyn Hussa, who saw the horse racing through traffic Monday night. "It was like a nightmare.'' The horse, which had no passengers in its carriage, smashed into the station wagon at 50th Street and Ninth Avenue around 9:30 p.m., injuring two men in the car, fire department Chief Jim Hodgens said.
The carriage driver was thrown into the street, which was soaked in blood by the time the man was taken away in an ambulance, witnesses said.
"He wasn't moving at all, and there was blood all over the place,'' said Philip Emran, who had been eating dinner at a restaurant on the corner.
The men in the station wagon were in stable condition early Tuesday, said police Officer Doris Garcia.
Emran said the horse was wrapped around the station wagon, its rear legs on top of it and its head on the ground. The windshield of the car was smashed, and the four-wheel carriage was mangled.
The horse later stood at the scene before being driven away while bucking and kicking in a police wagon. It was unclear how badly the animal was injured.
Authorities at the scene didn't immediately know the origin of the horse and carriage, which had heart-shaped cutouts for windows.
Jasna Tomasevic, visiting from Orlando, Fla., said she was so horrified by what she witnessed through the window while dining at the corner restaurant that she had to change seats.
"This is really not something which I want to see,'' she said.
Last May, a pair of horses were turned loose in traffic on the West Side of Manhattan when a hit-and-run truck driver flipped a 120-year-old stagecoach onto its side, sending the runaway equines on an unscheduled jaunt across town. The horses, which weren't injured, where corralled a few blocks away.
Manhattan carriage rides, generally in and around Central Park, are popular with tourists year-round and have been featured in movies and shows such as "Barefoot in the Park,'' which starred Jane Fonda and Robert Redford as newlyweds, and HBO's "Sex and the City.'' Carriages line up along Central Park South, about 10 blocks from where Monday's crash occurred, offering 30-minute rides for about $40.
RUSTY!!
Someone feed it too much Beef-A-Ronni?
My 1st thought too. Beano does it everytime.
I am not sure if this is funny or sad.
"What's that smell?"
She should be thankful for such a cheap dinner and a show.
Poor Rusty, something didn't agree with him.
Horses and carriages in city traffic... A scene that's always made me a little nervous. It's a disaster that doesn't go wrong as often as it really could.
>>>I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Ross. One never knows how the gastrointestinal workings of the equine are going to function
OMG, I forgot about that one. Or I may have been laughing through it and missed it the first time.
LOL!!!
In spite of my Sienfeld references, I do agree it is a horrid scene.
A few weeks ago I took a visitor from the UK into New York and we walked over to Tavern on the Green for lunch. There were a few Hansome Cabs in that area waiting for customers. As one of the draft horses started out on it's route through the park my friend from England commented on how sad the horse looked. I agreed.
Sounds like my horse. She reared up in the trailer and kicked out the front window and then shot backwards and ran over a crippled little old man.
You never know with these critters.
Bush's fault.
Lol!
Price Club.
lol. Ya think? I hope she was still able to eat dessert. Sheesh.
rofling.
rofling!! I love that episode.
Rofling!! I'm sorry. This is all very sad and I'm sure we could all get on a soapbox here, but these comments are too funny!
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