Uber driver who died in Queens crash worked nights to spend days with his kids

A motorist who died erstwhile his car crashed into a Queens garage was a hard-working Uber operator who was astir apt reaching the extremity of his overnight shift, household members said Tuesday.

For 10 years, Mamadou Barry picked up passengers betwixt 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. truthful helium could walk clip with his woman and children during the day, his relatives said.

“In the daytime helium had to instrumentality attraction of the kids, taking them to school, picking them up, helping them with their homework, each that stuff,” said the victim’s cousin, Ibrahima Diallo, 61. “So that’s wherefore helium worked nights.”

Barry, 63, was driving his SUV on 90th Ave. successful Jamaica astir 5:20 a.m. Tuesday greeting erstwhile helium mislaid power of his vehicle, a Toyota RAV4, which went racing into a detached store successful Queens, colliding with a parked car and causing the operation to illness onto some vehicles, constabulary said.

The SUV had hopped a curb astatine 143rd St., careened into a driveway astatine the intersection and kept going until it crashed into the store and an unoccupied Toyota Prius, cops said.

Two garages and portion of a 3rd collapsed aft a achromatic Toyota RAV4 barreled down a driveway, crashing into a parked metallic Toyota Prius and the garages astatine 90th Ave. and 143rd St. connected Jan. 21, 2025. (Kerry Burke/NYDN)

The interaction caused the store to illness onto some vehicles, trapping the RAV4 driver, constabulary said.

First responders pulled Barry from the wreckage, and rushed him to Jamaica Hospital, wherever helium was pronounced dead.

Police judge Barry went into cardiac apprehension during the incidental but it was unclear if that’s what caused the crash.

His relatives said helium had nary aesculapian issues they were alert of that would origin him to suffer power of the car.

“To my knowledge, helium didn’t archer maine astir having a aesculapian issue,” the relative said. “Generally, from appearances, if you spot him, you’re not going to accidental helium has immoderate aesculapian issues. Every time helium does the aforesaid regular — helium works.”

Barry immigrated to the Bronx from Conakry, Guinea, astir 22 years ago, his household sad. He met his wife, Aminata, successful the Bronx, and they had 2 children.

Mamadou Barry and his wife, Aminata Diallo.

“He was a very, precise bully dad,” the grieving widow said, shaking her head, arsenic she looked done photos of him with their children.

“My dada was a strong, blessed man,” their daughter, Kadiatou, 7, said. “I loved him. He was the champion dada successful the full wide world.”

The victim’s uncle, Ibrahima Barry, said his nephew came to New York to flight the governmental dangers successful Guinea.

“Politically, we are sequestered by the government,” the uncle said. “We are fighting, we are losing people. Most of america are successful the jail. Some they termination them due to the fact that they revolt. You revolt for the electricity. They termination you. You revolt due to the fact that of the deficiency of water. They termination you. You spot it’s a large sequestration. That’s wherefore astir of the radical spell out.”

Barry’s relative said the hard-working Uber operator liked to workout and work successful his clip off.

“That’s what helium did,” the relative said. “He went to the gym. He was successful precise bully shape.”

He said the household is devastated.

“That is simply a large nonaccomplishment for us,” helium said. “He was a caregiver. That’s very, precise pugnacious for us.”