Blaine woman remembered for unwavering kindness following fatal I-5 crash

Momina Khan, a 22-year-old Blaine woman who was struck and killed by a driver on Interstate 5 in Ferndale January 20, is being remembered as altruistic by family and friends.

“She inspired others with her kindness,” Momina’s mother, Mamoona Khan, said. “She was very special. Everyone loved her.”

Momina was driving on southbound I-5 to take her friend, also 22, to a dentist appointment in Bellingham. She was driving a 2023 Tesla Model 3 just south of the Main Street exit when she and her friend were hit by 27-year-old Blaine resident Eduardo Nievesaponte, who had crossed over the median from northbound I-5 in a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado.

A 2024 Hyundai Tucson carrying three people, including an 8-year-old boy, that was traveling southbound then hit Nievesaponte’s truck.

The Hyundai’s passengers and Nievesaponte were uninjured. Momina’s friend was treated for an ankle injury and later released from St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham.

Momina, who was wearing a seatbelt, died on scene, according to Washington State Patrol (WSP).

WSP initially reported that neither drugs nor alcohol were suspected in the crash. However, state trooper Kelsey Harding said on January 27 that the crash was being “heavily investigated,” and use of drugs or alcohol had not been ruled out.

Born September 9, 2003 in Renton, Momina was the youngest in a family of five. She spent the first decade of her life in the southern suburb of Seattle with her mother Mamoona, father Shahid and two older brothers, Shah and Adil. She grew up surrounded by family, including cousins she’d frequently see in Kent and Surrey, B.C.

Momina, her mother and Adil moved to Pakistan for two years when she was in middle school before settling in Whatcom County to be with her father and Shah. She graduated from Blaine High School in 2022, where she excelled academically and played basketball – a sport that came naturally as a young girl over 6 feet.

Momina took business classes at Whatcom Community College and had just been accepted to Central Washington University, where she was eager to start in the summer.

Momina planned to attend Central online so that she could be near her mother, something that was important to her, especially after her father died a few years ago. Eventually, she wanted to become a business lawyer after being inspired by relatives who practiced law.

“I told her, ‘You can’t be a lawyer because you don’t lie,'” Adil said.

Family members and friends said Momina tried to get the most out of life, always agreeing to an adventure and encouraging friends out of their comfort zones.

Momina’s sister-in-law, Muskan Ikram, said Momina became like a sister when she moved to the U.S. from Pakistan late last summer. The pair were always together, getting boba, shopping at the mall and doing each other’s hair. Muskan credits Momina for helping her adjust to the U.S. by encouraging Muskan to talk to new people and have new experiences, like trying sushi for the first time.

In her spare time, Momina enjoyed reading, watching TV and cooking new recipes for her family that she’d find on TikTok. She was determined to find a solution to anything, even if she didn’t know the answer, family members said.

Above all else, Momina was known for her kindness toward others.

Neighbor Sue Szewczyk said Momina never hesitated to help if she needed a cat sitter and refused to accept any payment. Momina would often create chalk art with neighbors’ children. When neighbor Jocelyn Au’s mother visited the U.S. from Malaysia for the first time last August, Momina volunteered to take Jocelyn’s mother sightseeing and prepared meals for her.

Momina was the person Shah’s dogs turned to for comfort. She cleaned for Adil when he was on work trips and took care of him after a motorcycle injury. When Momina’s friend was missing her mother recently, Momina brought that friend to her house so the friend could hug Momina’s mother.

“She was a really nice person,” Shah said. “She never judged anyone on their race, color or gender.”

A funeral prayer was held on January 23 at the Islamic Center of Blaine. Family members said they were touched by the amount of support they have received from the community.

Mamoona asked that people do a good deed to carry on her daughter’s legacy.

“A lot of people were struck and hurt because of how nice of a person she was,” Shah said of his younger sister. “It hurts a bit more.”