Mesquite man killed in wrong-way crash remembered as devoted father

Mesquite resident Aaron Rodriguez, 29, was killed early Friday in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 15 near mile marker 77, close to the Valley of Fire area. According to Nevada Highway Patrol, Rodriguez was driving a 2010 Hyundai Genesis southbound around 4:11 a.m. when a 2015 Nissan Altima driven by Alba Zaret Bueno-Lopez, 38, of Las Vegas, struck his vehicle head-on. Rodriguez attempted to steer right to avoid the collision, but both drivers died at the scene. A 2025 Chevrolet Silverado then struck the Nissan; its driver suffered minor injuries but was not hospitalized. Trooper Shawn Haggstrom said Tuesday the investigation is ongoing.

Days before the crash, Rodriguez and his wife, Margaret Rodriguez Hafen, learned they were expecting their second child. "He wanted to tell everybody right away," Rodriguez Hafen said. "He was like, we have to order a sweater for our son that says 'big brother,' we have to go over to your parents' house tonight. He wanted the world to know." The couple, who married Nov. 1, 2025, had moved from Tampa, Florida, to Mesquite about a year and a half ago. Their first child was born 10 months earlier.

Rodriguez Hafen described her husband as a devoted father, caring, adventurous and a role model. He served in the Army National Guard and recently started a job at the Boring Company in Las Vegas as an automation and electrical control engineer. "The official term is brother-in-law, right? But to me, he was my brother," said Merlin Hafen. "He was a great inspiration to everybody that he came in contact with. Nobody had anything bad to say about him."

Mark Mason of Tampa, who met the couple through church, said their relationship was strong from the start. "I think that's the hard part, seeing two people fall so much in love, both (are) absolutely amazing people, to end in this tragedy is really hard to watch," Mason said. Rodriguez Hafen said she is moving forward with support from family in Southern Nevada and Puerto Rico. "I'm just so thankful that I got to share that exciting news with him and see how excited he was," she said.

Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal