CASPER, Wyo. – A respected NCHS science teacher and his son died on Saturday morning after their vehicle was hit head-on by another vehicle attempting to pass.
According to a report from the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Mauro Diaz of Casper was heading north on US 20 at around 10 a.m. near milepost 121 when an 83-year-old Texas resident driving a 2016 Cadillac Escalade heading south attempted to pass another vehicle. The Escalade then hit the 2014 BMW X-6 Diaz was driving head-on.
The WHP says Diaz was wearing a seatbelt and died at the scene. His son riding in the car was properly restrained and transferred to Hot Springs Memorial Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Driver inattention on the part of the Escalade driver is being investigated as a contributing factor, according to the release.
Mauro was a popular science teacher at NCHS, and his son was a third-grade student at Park Elementary School. A vigil for the Diaz family is scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Casper.
