ISLAMABAD: Athar Yaad Ali, a resident of Lahore, took a leap of faith and jumped behind the wheel of a speeding lorry on the motorway to stop the driver-less vehicle from causing any accidents.
Ali was travelling from Islamabad to Lahore on the motorway with his wife and two children when they noticed a lorry behind them near the Salt Range, Express News reported. However, there was no driver in sight.
In an exclusive interview with the The Express News, Athar said, ”My youngest son saw the driver jump from the lorry, followed by the man in the passenger seat.”
The lorry lost control after the driver jumped from the vehicle and swayed left to right as it approached the slope.
“It didn’t stop and I realised that I had to do something to stop it” Ali explained, adding that his family did not approve of him trying to stop the heavy vehicle.
As he entered the lorry from the passenger side, he managed to take control of the steering wheel but realised that the brakes had failed.
Ali went on to say, “I knew that I could make it, even though the vehicle didn’t stop for a further two kilometres. The police had arrived and were guiding other cars away from the vehicle.
His wife recalled how scary the incident was for her as nothing she could say would stop her husband from taking the daring step.
“In such incidents, Athar is always the first to want to help. My words were still in my mouth when he had already got out of our car and proceeded towards the lorry,” she said.
She went on to express her fear saying that “there were cars on the motorway and he was running in the middle of the road.”
“I was helpless and very scared. When I saw the lorry go down the slope, I thought I had lost my dad,” Ali’s eldest son Arsh said, adding that when he saw his dad he wanted to hug him forever.
Ali managed to bring the lorry to a complete halt with zero casualties.
Watch the exclusive interview below: