Edmonton Woman's Harrowing Account of Fatal Anthony Henday Crash Response
For Anne Guenther, what began as a routine Monday morning commute on Edmonton's Anthony Henday Drive transformed into a life-altering experience of desperate intervention and profound loss. The Edmonton resident found herself at the center of a tragic traffic collision that claimed the life of 27-year-old Ahmed Ali, whose broken-down vehicle was struck by a high-speed pickup truck on January 26, 2026.
A Routine Drive Turns Tragic
Guenther was traveling along one of Edmonton's busiest roadways when traffic suddenly slowed to a crawl. "I saw a young man on the road, and I asked him if he needed any help," Guenther recalled in an interview with Postmedia. "He said, 'I just hit this car. I didn't see it.'"
Her attention then turned to a severely damaged Volkswagen Passat that initially appeared abandoned. The reality proved far more dire when Shabhaz Asif, Ali's close friend, arrived moments later and confirmed his friend was trapped inside the crushed vehicle.
The Desperate Attempt to Save a Life
"That's when it just clicked. 'Oh my God, someone's in there,'" Guenther remembered. "I immediately went to check for a pulse, and from what I remembered, he had a faint pulse. But in that moment, I was like, if there's a chance, or any hope, I had to try and save him."
Guenther directed bystanders to call emergency services while she and Asif worked to extract Ali from the wreckage. What followed was an intense period of cardiopulmonary resuscitation that seemed to suspend normal time.
"I don't even know how long I could've been doing CPR," Guenther reflected. "It could've been two minutes, or an hour. I'm not even sure. Time just stood still. I just felt if I could just keep his heart going for long enough for when emergency medical services arrived, we'd be able to save him. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. But all that kept going through my mind was that I had to try."
The Fatal Sequence of Events
According to police investigation details, Ali's vehicle was struck by a Ram pickup truck traveling at highway speed around 8:30 a.m. The 23-year-old driver of the pickup remains under investigation for the collision that occurred in the far right eastbound lane of Anthony Henday Drive in south Edmonton.
Asif provided crucial context about the circumstances leading to the tragedy. His best friend had been heading to work when his car battery failed, leaving him stranded in the driving lane. After contacting the Alberta Motor Association, Ali was informed he faced a 90-minute wait for a tow truck and was advised to call an Uber and leave his vehicle on the roadway.
"I remember driving towards the Henday and talking with him," Asif shared. "I could hear how nervous he was in his voice. He was scared. He just kept telling me, someone is going to hit me."
Technical difficulties with the Uber app prevented Ali from properly pinning his location for pickup, prompting him to call Asif for assistance instead. This decision placed him directly in the path of the approaching pickup truck moments before help could arrive.
Aftermath and Reflection
When paramedics reached the scene, Ali was pronounced deceased. The incident has left both Guenther and Asif grappling with the traumatic experience and the loss of a young Edmonton man described as building a beautiful life.
The collision highlights several critical safety concerns for Edmonton drivers:
- The dangers of vehicle breakdowns on high-speed roadways
- Response time challenges for emergency roadside assistance
- The split-second decisions that can mean the difference between life and death
- The psychological impact on bystanders who attempt to intervene in emergencies
Guenther's courageous attempt to save a complete stranger's life, despite the tragic outcome, underscores the profound human instinct to help others in moments of crisis. Her experience serves as a sobering reminder of the fragility of life on Edmonton's roadways and the lasting impact such events have on all involved.
