An immigrant DoorDash deliveryman was killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding his e-bike in Brooklyn, cops said Sunday.
Babacar Dia, 44, was riding east on Linden Blvd. in East New York when a driver in a dark-colored sedan slammed into him in the intersection at Snediker Ave. about 10:25 p.m. Saturday, police said.
“For somebody to just hit him and keep going like that is just inhumane — as if he was an animal in the street,” his heartbroken wife, Hanifah Dia, told the Daily News. “I’m seeking justice.”
The driver, heading north on Snediker Ave., didn’t stop, leaving Dia dying on the street. EMS rushed the victim to Brookdale University Hospital but he couldn’t be saved, police said. The driver has not been caught.
Dia, a father of four girls, immigrated to New York from Senegal 23 years ago in search of a better life and recently received his documentation as a U.S. resident, his wife said. He was working for DoorDash, the popular food delivery app, when he was killed.
One of Dia’s daughters turns 9 this week and he had been planning a birthday party to celebrate. The family hasn’t yet told any of the children about their father’s death, opting to wait until after the party.
“This is a family devastation,” Hanifah said. “We just request for somebody to come forward . . . Let’s give these four young girls some peace and some justice for their father. He was working to make sure the kids had money for school.”
Hanifah said detectives told her they have obtained video of the fatal crash. She wants the city to increase its surveillance efforts to protect delivery workers.
“The city definitely needs to step it up with their camera systems, like they have over in London . . . where every corner has some sort of [surveillance],” she said. “They need to just step it up and make things better for these electrical bike riders. Because people tend to disrespect them because they’re working deliveries.”
Dia lived in the Bronx but stayed in Brooklyn most nights because he could get more delivery work there.
Hanifah last spoke with her husband via FaceTime just an hour before his death. He told her he’d call her again later before she went to sleep — but Hanifah instead received a call from cops telling her Dia was dead.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic act,” a DoorDash spokeswoman said, vowing to support the victim’s family and work with law enforcement. “The safety of our community is extremely important to us and our thoughts are with Mr. Dia’s loved ones during this unimaginably difficult time.”
Dia is the latest in a string of delivery workers killed in the city during the COVID pandemic, which has created a spike in the popularity of food delivery.
Dia worked to save money for his children and sent some of his income to family back in Senegal, his wife said. Now his wife is trying to raise money to have her husband’s body sent back to his home country to be laid to rest.
Dia’s death came days after the City Council passed legislation aimed to protect delivery workers and improve their working conditions. The package of bills, which still must be signed by Mayor de Blasio, mandate a minimum wage for delivery workers, allows them to limit the distance they travel for deliveries and guarantees them bathroom access at restaurants.
