Horse put down after it goes wild in Manhattan

The driver of a horse-drawn carriage was critically wounded after being thrown into the street when the animal suddenly bolted, galloped for blocks and then crashed into a station wagon in midtown Manhattan, witnesses said.

The horse, whose carriage had no passengers, smashed into the vehicle on the city’s west side last night, injuring two men in the car, fire department Chief Jim Hodgens said.

“It was horrifying,” said Robyn Hussa, who saw the horse racing through traffic. “It was like a nightmare.”

The street was soaked in blood by the time the carriage driver was taken away in an ambulance, witnesses said.

The carriage driver was taken to hospital in critical condition, and the two other victims were in stable condition, police said.

The horse was taken away bucking and kicking in a police wagon but was later put down because of its injuries, said police Detective Bernard Gifford.