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Monday, April 19, 2010

Phila. horse carriage crash prompts calls for a ban

A serious accident in downtown Philadelphia involving three horse carriages today - that injured as many as five people and five horses - is renewing calls to put the carriages out to pasture.

The newly-formed group Peace Advocacy Network (PAN) - which just this weekend held a demonstration to end what they call a "dangerous and exploitive industry" - said the accident is evidence that carriages have no place on busy city streets.

Brandon Gittleman, the group's vice president and director of its horse-drawn carriage campaign, wants the city to outlaw carriages and is urging Philadelphia City Councilman Frank DiCicco - whose district includes Independence Mall where the carriages operate -  to support a ban on the dangerous horse-drawn carriage industry "before another accident occurs."

Gittleman said he'd like to see a city ordinance like legislation now under consideration in New York state that would replace carriages used in New York City's Central Park with hybrid-electric cars, that are replicas of classic cars.

PAN will hold another demonstration against horse-drawn carriages on April 24, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on 6th Street between Market and Chestnut.
 

Here's the news story from the Inquirer this morning:

Three people were injured this morning when a car hit a horse carriage on Independence Mall and triggered a chain-reaction crash involving two other horse-drawn coaches, police said.

No horses were seriously hurt, police said, although they broke free on impact and had to be rounded up after the 10 a.m. accident.

Two carriage drivers were taken to Jefferson Hospital in serious but stable condition, police said. The driver of the car was taken to Hahnemann University Hospital.

Police said the three carriages were stopped at the red light on North Sixth Street at Race when a black car driven by an elderly man slammed into the rear coach, pushing it across Arch Street into a fence and knocking aside the other carriages.

The horses broke free because their harnesses are designed to release them if the carriage is hit.

The accident backed up traffic in the area for almost two hours and prompted police to close the exit ramp from I-676 to Sixth Street, a main feeder to the Ben Franklin Bridge.

An investigation is under way.

 
Posted by Amy Worden @ 6:34 PM  Permalink | 8 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:01 PM, 04/19/2010
    Isn't it missing the point to protest against "dangerous" horse carriages if the reason the accident happened was that one was hit by a car?
    — NwK
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:56 PM, 04/19/2010
    Traffic and horses don't mix. It's as simple as that.
    — Rowan Morrison
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:16 AM, 04/20/2010
    Obviously, the logical solution to prevent such accidents is to prohibit MOTOR vehicles from city streets, and return said streets to pedestrians, bikers and horse-drawn carriages, as the city streets in Philadelphia were designed for--and used in such a way for thousands of years throughout human history.
    — cchali
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:53 AM, 04/20/2010
    it'd probably be best if they did the horse-drawn carriage rides on Forbidden Drive or something. There's just not enough room in center city.
    — Ilmare
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:39 AM, 04/20/2010
    I simply don't understand why Philadelphia has any such obsolete and dangerous practice that obviously is harmful to horses and persons alike.
    — dlov
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:24 PM, 04/20/2010
    What if we ban dangerous elderly drivers from getting behind the wheel of a car?
    — robertthomas
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:06 PM, 04/21/2010
    AR Amy strikes again.... Hey...I've been rearended by three idiots under the age of 23. Perhaps we can ban drivers under the age of 23? I'd be all for it.
    — DogLover27
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:35 AM, 04/23/2010
    What kind of people exploit a tragic accident where the CAR (not the carriages) was at fault, and where two innocent carriage drivers remain in the hospital, in order to advance a radical agenda that is actually HARMFUL to the horses? (Yes, banning the carriages is BAD for horses. Currently, they work and enjoy their jobs and earn their keep, which means the carriage companies can afford to give them high-quality care. Take their jobs away from them, and the carriage horses become jobless and homeless... and they become at risk for going to auction and slaughter... Yeah, real nice. Ban the carriages - harm the horses. Real nice.)
    — thedrafthorse


8 comments
About Amy Worden
Amy Worden is a politics and government reporter for the Inquirer. In that capacity she has explored a range of animal issues from dog kennel law improvements and horse slaughter to the comeback of peregrine falcons and pigeon hunts. From hamsters to horses, animals have always been part of her life. To pass along a tip or contact Amy, click here.
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