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NEW YORK — <\/span>A teenager from India who was killed when a Central Park carriage horse bolted<\/a> from its driver was on a family trip celebrating his high school graduation and died trying to save his mother.<\/p>\n Romanch Mahajan, 18, jumped out of the carriage after his mother fell out and hit his head on the ground, his father, Deepak Mahajan, told<\/a> The New York Times. <\/p>\n \u201cHe was screaming, \u2018Mom!’\u201d the young man\u2019s father told the newspaper. Mahajan said he, his wife and younger son escaped with minor injuries, though their carriage clipped another horse-drawn vehicle and toppled over.<\/p>\n The family arrived in New York from India on Monday, the same day Romanch learned he had been accepted to a university in Jaipur. They had spent the day visiting many of the city\u2019s popular tourist attractions and were unwinding on a carriage ride when the driver got off to photograph them. Moments later, the accident occurred.<\/p>\n \u201cThis incident should be taken very seriously,\u201d Mahajan said. \u201cIt took my son’s dream away.\u201d<\/p>\n The company that owns the carriage involved in the fatal crash has also suspended the driver indefinitely, and the horse will be retired from the business, according to the union representing the industry. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re absolutely gutted and stunned by this tragedy. We\u2019ve never had a fatal accident like this before,\u201d said Alexander Kemp, a vice president with the Transport Workers Union Local 100, the labor union representing carriage drivers and owners. \u201cWe have shuttered the stables and ceased operations today while we have extensive internal discussions of safety protocols and how they can be improved.\u201d<\/p>\n The Central Park Conservancy, which manages the 850-acre park, confirmed that Mahajan’s death is believed to be the first human fatality involving a horse carriage since they were introduced in Central Park more than 150 years ago.<\/p>\n The organization also called for the industry to be suspended until more protections could be put in place, noting that there have now been eight horse-related incidents in Central Park over the past 13 months.<\/p>\n \u201cIf any other activity in the Park posed a comparable risk to visitors, it would be suspended immediately while steps were taken to address those dangers,\u201d the organization said in a statement Thursday.<\/p>\n