Soriah Barry was twenty-seven years old, a vibrant singer with a future brimming with promise, when a collision with a double-decker bus stole her life on a London street. But the tragedy wasn’t just the crash itself; it was what happened in the agonizing hours that followed, a sequence of events her family believes could have altered her fate.
Her mother, Saphiatu, speaks with a raw, aching honesty. “She was treated like a criminal, not a person in desperate need of care,” she recounts, her voice heavy with grief. For nearly two hours, Soriah lay injured, while onlookers filmed her struggle and shared the footage online – a chilling testament to a world increasingly detached from compassion.
The family’s pain is compounded by the disturbing revelation that, as Soriah fought for her life, some police officers discussed “nicking” her. This callous conversation, captured on bodycam footage, has fueled their conviction that a lack of urgency and empathy contributed to her death. Their home remains a shrine to her memory, a poignant snapshot of a life abruptly halted – a room left untouched, makeup scattered, even a lingering fast-food container a heartbreaking reminder of ordinary moments.
Soriah’s burgeoning music career was on the cusp of breakthrough. Photos throughout the house depict a radiant young woman, full of life and passion, whether in a recording studio, celebrating with family, or exploring the world. But the investigation into the crash has yielded more questions than answers, leaving the family grappling with a profound sense of injustice.
Evidence suggests Soriah may have inadvertently accelerated instead of braking as her car began to drift. In the moments before the impact, her speed increased from 23 to 30 mph. Bystanders, desperate to help, frantically worked to free her from the wreckage, their 999 calls filled with urgency as they followed the operator’s instructions. “You need to listen to me very carefully, and get her out the car,” the operator urged, recognizing the severity of her condition. “This young lady is really quite poorly.”
However, witnesses observed a shift in the atmosphere when police and paramedics arrived. The initial sense of urgency seemed to dissipate, overshadowed by a focus on items found within the car – empty alcohol bottles and gas canisters. Toxicology reports later revealed Soriah was well below the legal limit, the debris simply remnants of a weekend trip with friends, destined for disposal at their Airbnb.
The bodycam footage revealed a police officer casually discussing whether to arrest Soriah, while a paramedic’s sarcastic remark upon seeing the bottles added insult to injury. This perceived lack of compassion is a central point of the family’s anguish. Once Soriah was finally loaded into the ambulance, she went into cardiac arrest, and the journey through rush hour traffic further delayed her arrival at The Royal London Hospital.
Saphiatu arrived at the hospital before the ambulance, spending agonizing hours in the waiting room before a surgeon delivered the devastating news: there was nothing more that could be done. Soriah endured three more cardiac arrests during the operation to repair a lacerated liver. The family’s screams echoed through the hospital halls as their world shattered.
Soriah’s potential remains a painful echo. Apple Music, recognizing her talent, expressed a desire to posthumously release her music. Her family is left with a hollow ache, mourning not only her past but also the future she was denied – the joy she would have found in her goddaughter, the delight she would have taken in her brother’s newborn daughter. “She would have loved having them around so much,” her mother laments, “Babies couldn’t get enough of her.”
The police have issued an apology for the insensitive remarks captured on the bodycam footage, stating the comments were made during a discussion about the investigation and were not intended to be discriminatory. However, the family remains deeply affected, feeling that the initial response prioritized procedure over the urgent need for compassionate care. They are left with the haunting question of what might have been, and a profound sense of loss that will forever shape their lives.
