**Teenage Tourist Tried to Help Mother Before Fatal Horse Accident in Central Park, Family Says**

The family of a teenage tourist involved in a fatal horse-related accident in Central Park has said he tried to help his mother moments before the tragedy occurred.

According to their account, the incident happened suddenly, leaving little time for intervention before the situation turned deadly.

An 18-year-old tourist killed in a horse carriage crash in Central Park was on a family vacation celebrating his high school graduation — and died protecting his mother, according to a report.

Victim Romanch Mahajan, his parents and his younger brother were enjoying a picturesque ride through the park in the horse-drawn carriage Wednesday afternoon when their driver stepped out to take a happy photo of them.

When the driver stepped back from the carriage to frame the picture, the horse got spooked and bolted, racing onto the sidewalk around 2:45 p.m., the boy’s father told the New York Times.

“We were yelling, ‘Help me, help me!’” Deepak Mahajan recounted.

The family held on tightly to one another as the carriage tipped over at Cherry Hill near Bethesda Fountain, but the boy’s mother fell out and he jumped down to try to help her.

“My son, just to save his mother, he fell off,” the 44-year-old father said. “He was screaming, ‘Mom!’”

The teen hit his head and was knocked unconscious. He was taken to an area hospital, where he died about 6:45 pm, police said.

When the family arrived in New York Monday, Romanch found out he had been accepted to Manipal University Jaipur, one of the best colleges in India. Before the doomed carriage ride, his excited family took in the sights, walking the Brooklyn Bridge and visiting the Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 memorial, the father told The Times.