A truck driver was arraigned Tuesday for a hit-and-run collision that killed a 16-year-old Woodside girl and injured her little sister late last month. Photo via Google Maps
July 23, 2024 By Bill Parry
A delivery truck driver from Manhattan was indicted by a Queens grand jury for a hit-and-run collision that killed a 16-year-old girl and injured her little sister near I.S. 125 in Woodside on the last day of school.
Boubacar Barry, 28, of Broome Street in lower Manhattan was arraigned Tuesday in Queens Supreme Court on an 11-count indictment charging him with criminally negligent homicide in the death of Jael Zhinin, who was allegedly struck by Barry’s water delivery truck as she was crossing 46th Street at 47th Avenue with her sister. Barry allegedly drove off to continue his deliveries after striking the girls, who were on their way home from a Sunnyside park.
“No parent should ever have to endure the loss of a child and our thoughts are with the family of these young sisters,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
A GoFundMe account was opened to help the family of 16-year-old Jael Zhinin pay for her funeral casts and the medical bills of her little sister Leslie. Photo courtesy of GoFundMe
According to the charges, video surveillance shows that on June 26, at around 3:25 p.m., Barry was behind the wheel of a Ford truck with “Ready Refresh” branding on it while traveling westbound on 47th Avenue in Woodside before making a left turn onto 46th Street. He failed to yield to a yellow school bus that was approaching from the eastbound lane of 47th Avenue and, upon turning, narrowly avoided hitting a bicyclist.
As he made the turn, Barry did not appear to be looking ahead of him, but rather at the rear driver’s side of the truck. As he entered the intersection, Jael Zhinin and her eight-year-old sister Leslie stepped into the marked crosswalk — with the walk signal — and began crossing 46th Street. When they approached the middle of the crosswalk they were hit by Barry’s truck and thrown to the pavement. The truck then drove over the sisters and continued southbound without stopping.
Photo of the dangerous intersection at 47th Avenue and 46th Street near I.S. 125 in Woodside. Photo courtesy of Transportation Alternatives
Video surveillance then shows Barry making a left turn off 46th Street and double parking his truck, getting out and speaking to someone. Barry began to unload water from his truck.
Jael Zhinin sustained severe head and torso trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS responded to the scene and transported Leslie Zhinin to Elmhurst Hospital where she was listed in serious condition. She is receiving ongoing care.
“It is imperative that pedestrians be able to cross our streets safely,” Katz said. “And it is incumbent upon every driver to make sure the crosswalk is clear before turning.”
Following his indictment, Barry was arrested Tuesday morning and booked at the 111th Precinct in Bayside.
Barry was also charged with two counts of leaving the scene without reporting, assault, and other related crimes. If convicted, Barry faces up to seven years in prison. Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Harofils ordered him to return to court on Sept. 19.
Featured Events
