Another Hansom Accident Hits Central Park

2006 does not seem to be a good year for Hansom Cabs. First there was that nasty accident that put a driver into a coma and led to a horse being put down, then came the ASPCA's very vocal push to get the 175 working hansom cabs out of the city entirely. Not to mention the recent push by the City Council to limit the cabs to only Central Park.

Add to that list a spooked horse which yesterday afternoon not only threw its driver flying but also managed to crash into and seriously injure a 71-year-old bicyclist. No word on the horses condition but the driver, Santana Altarico has been treated for a hurt knee, and the bicyclist, Lawrence McKittrick, is currently at New York Weill Cornell Medical Center being treated for what appears to be a broken hip.

Gothamist's guess is that on Tuesday you will see a number of stories in the papers about yet another push to get the horses out of the city.

Tangent: check out our interview with Joe, a horse-drawn carriage driver.

A Labeled Horse in Central Park from mokumeg's flickr stream.