The driver responsible for the tragic accident that killed a 16-year-old girl and severely injured her younger sister while they were crossing the street on the final day of school in Woodside has been charged. As a delivery driver, their reckless actions resulted in devastating consequences, and they must face the legal repercussions of their negligence.
On Monday, Boubacar Barry, aged 29, was charged with criminally negligent homicide following the death of 16-year-old Jael Zhinin.
On June 26, while crossing 46th Street and 47th Avenue, Zhinin and her 8-year-old sister were struck by a delivery truck.
After hitting the sisters, Barry, the driver, didn’t stop making deliveries until the police caught him a short time later.
“Our hearts go out to the family of these young sisters. Losing a child is an unimaginable tragedy. We believe that ensuring the safety of pedestrians is crucial, and it is the responsibility of every driver to check the crosswalk before turning to avoid any accidents,” stated Melinda Katz, the Queens District Attorney.
Barry faces an 11-count indictment that includes charges for leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, criminally negligent homicide, assault in the third degree, failure to yield, failure to yield the right of way when making a left turn, and failure to exercise due care. The charges also include two counts of drivers failing to exercise due care.
Barry could potentially be sentenced to a maximum of seven years in prison if found guilty.
Upon reviewing video surveillance footage, it was observed that Barry was driving a Ford truck and failed to yield to a school bus that was approaching from the eastbound lane of 47th Avenue. This occurred as he was making a left turn onto 46th Street and narrowly avoided hitting a cyclist.
According to police, when he made the turn, he wasn’t focused on what was ahead of him, but instead, was looking back on the driver’s side of his truck.
According to the police, as soon as the man arrived at the intersection, the sisters proceeded to step into the marked crosswalk with the walk signal, initiating their crossing of 46th Street.
According to the authorities, Barry’s truck struck them as they were crossing the middle of the crosswalk and he kept driving, running over them.
As captured on surveillance footage, Barry pulls up the truck on 46th Street and proceeds to unload the water from it, double-parking in the process.
At the scene, Jael Zhinin was declared deceased while her sister was rushed to the hospital in a grave state. Currently, she is receiving continuous medical attention.
