Bangladeshi Lyft driver killed in NYC crash

Dead body
Prothom Alo illustration

A Bangladeshi-American Lyft driver died after a ‘drunken driver’ struck his vehicle in Queens, New York City on Sunday.

The accident took place at the intersection of Fresh Pond Road and Elliott Avenue in Maspeth.

Authorities identified the victim as Mohammed Hossain, 47, a father of three in Brooklyn, according to local dailies. He had migrated from Bangladesh 12 years ago.

Hossain’s devastated friends and relatives visited the scene of the crash Sunday morning, trying to wrap their head around the sudden loss of the beloved family man.

Hossain supported his wife and their three children in Borough Park, Brooklyn, by driving for Uber and Lyft.

“It’s only when the person you just talked to a few days ago is joking and you’re not there. It doesn’t make sense,” his brother-in-law Rezaul Rahman said.

Rahman says his sister, Hossain’s wife, was contacted after 8 am.

“I went in and saw her on the phone. She saw me and started crying. At that point you don’t know how to feel,” Rahman said.

The alleged drunk driver, 22-year-old Erik Chimborazo of Brooklyn, fled the scene but returned a short time later, according to police.

He's been charged with DWI (driving without a license) and insurance and vehicular manslaughter, according to the New York police department (NYPD).

The passenger of the car was also injured and taken to a nearby hospital. Hossain was taken to Waikov Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

According to police, Eric Chimborazo was drunk when he drove a red light and Hossain’s car at T-Bone. The surveillance video showed the impact of the crash.