Indian teen’s family sues NYC for USD 105M over carriage tragedy

The family of 18-year-old Indian student Romanch Mahajan, who died in a horse-carriage accident in New York’s Central Park last year, has filed a USD 105 million compensation claim against the city government.

New York: The family of Indian teenager Romanch Mahajan, who was killed when the horse drawing their carriage bolted in June last year,  has initiated legal proceedings demanding $105 million in compensation from the New York City government.

The family claims in a notice to the city filed last week that stray electricity in Central Park spooked the horse and that it was a result of the city government’s negligence.

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Mahajan’s family was on a holiday in the city celebrating his graduation from high school and took a ride on a horse carriage on June 17.

When the carriage driver got out to take a picture, the horse suddenly bolted, throwing Mahajan’s mother Priya off the vehicle.

Mahajan dove after her in an attempt to save her, but hit his head on the ground and died from the injury.

The family filed notices against the city and four of its departments in the first step towards suing them in court, alleging that their negligence caused the accident.

The stray voltage, among other factors, “caused, precipitated, contributed to and/or was a substantial factor” that made the horse bolt, they allege.

The allegation about the electric voltage echoes a claim made by the Transport Workers Union, to which carriage driver Ertan Gokdepe belonged.

Defending him, the union’s local unit Vice President Alexander Kemp said last month: “Blue-collar carriage drivers should not be punished for an unforeseeable hazard caused by flaws in the city’s power grid.”

Eighteen-year-old Mahajan, who was from Pathankot, had recently completed his 12th standard from Angel’s Public School and was set for college when the tragedy struck.

His death gave momentum to the campaign to ban horse-drawn carriages, a tourist attraction in the city.

Named the Romanch Mahajan Bill in his memory, the City Council is expected to vote on the ban soon, and supporters say the proposed legislation has majority support to pass.

His father Deepak Mahajan made a tearful plea to the Council through a video link last month to ban the carriages.

“A young boy came to America full of dreams and left us far too soon,” he said.

“This was not an unpredictable accident,” he said. “It was a safety violation, a system’s failure to protect the people who visit our city, your city, and everyone responsible has admitted the driver should never have left that carriage.”