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 Mahajan’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.
Romanch Mahajan, 18, was thrown to his death during a Central Park carriage ride with his family.
Four notices of claim — documents announcing an intent to sue — were filed Friday, blaming a host of city agencies for the fatal incident.
Filed on behalf of the dead teen, his parents, Deepak and Friya Mahjan, and his brother, Naanik, the notices say Romanch’s tragic death should never have happened.
“This was an avoidable accident,” Sagar Chadha of Liakas Law, which represents the grieving family, said in a statement. “The allegations set forth in the Notice of Claim describe a preventable tragedy that followed years of warnings, prior incidents and failures to implement basic safeguards.
“An 18-year-old young man came to New York City with his family and never made it back home,” Chadha said. “His family deserves answers, accountability and meaningful change so that no other family experiences what they have endured.”
The family claims 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 claims.
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.
A sequence of video grabs shows the moment Romanch Mahajan was thrown from a horse carriage and killed.
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 Edison spokesman Jamie McShane told The New York 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, according to the outlet.
How the Post covered the tragic death of teen tourist Romanch Mahajan in June.
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.
Priya, Romanch Mahajan, Deepak and Maanik pose in the horse carriage just before the tragic June 18 incident in Central Park. Obtained by NY Post
“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 economic prosperity of the workers,” Council Speaker Julie Menin said following the incident.
Queens Democratic Councilman James Gennaro bemoaned the “unthinkable tragedy” — but maintained it was due to “human error,” which had nothing to do with animal welfare.
He said he opposed an outright ban on the industry, and instead is proposing alternative legislation to tighten safety standards, including installing hitching posts in Central Park where horses can be secured when passengers get into or out of the carriages or want to take pictures, as well as more rigorous training for drivers.
The court notices filed Friday name the city, and the departments of Parks and Recreation, Health and Mental Hygiene, Consumer Affairs and Worker Protection, and the Department of Transportation.