TUKWILA, Wash. — A driver who was nearly killed after an SUV went off an overpass onto I-5 in Tukwila on Friday is saying he’s lucky to be alive.
It was a brush with death that has not left Robert Ahktar’s mind.
“And when you feel that death probably came and touched you and walked away….this is how I feel,” Ahktar said.
He and his wife were heading to Canada Friday morning to visit family. He said the drive along northbound I-5 in Tukwila changed their lives forever.
“I could see a flying car,” he said.
That flying car was the Toyota Highlander Washington State Patrol says flew off an overpass on SR 599. It nearly landed on Ahktar’s Tesla and caused several other vehicles to crash. One person was killed in the crash.
Ahktar says his Tesla’s auto brakes turned on right as the SUV was coming down.
“The next moment I could see the whole thing is just falling in front of me and I said ‘Oh my God, I am going to crash into that and I am going to die,’” Ahktar said. “A moment later, my car suddenly stopped.”
“If it came a fraction closer it would’ve smashed my windshield or if it fell on my roof, we would’ve been crushed,” Ahktar said. “And I cannot thank God Almighty enough for where I am today,” he continued.
He said this near brush with death will stay with him forever.
One person inside the SUV at the center of this crash died on scene and the other passenger was rushed to the hospital. As for the driver, he was arrested shortly after by the Washington State Patrol (WSP) and is currently being held at the King County Jail. WSP is still investigating the cause of the crash and asking more witnesses to come forward to help them determine if the driver of the SUV was driving erratically prior to the crash.
“They are doing follow-up interviews hoping that someone saw something,” Trooper Rick Johnson said.
As for Ahktar, besides being thankful to be alive, he says he has a whole new perspective on life after coming so close to death.
“Life is never given, never granted,” Ahktar said. “Anything can happen next moment. Nobody has seen the next moment.”
Ahktar says he does have cameras on his Tesla; however, they weren’t on when the crash happened and started recording 30 minutes later.
The King County Prosecutors Office is expected to see WSP’s findings in their investigation by Tuesday.
©2025 Cox Media Group
