MORONI, UT — A Utah mother of nine and her newborn baby died after she was struck by a vehicle while walking along a road, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.
Troopers said the crash happened about 7:55 a.m. Tuesday near 1808 E. Dairy Lane. UHP Lt. Zach Randall said Rebecca Hafen was walking on the shoulder when the vehicle hit her.
Hafen, who was pregnant at the time of the crash, was taken to a hospital and died Tuesday from her injuries. Doctors then performed an emergency delivery, and the baby was also rushed to the hospital for treatment in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
Baby dies after emergency delivery and NICU care
A fundraising page organized for Hafen’s husband, Tyson Hafen, and the couple’s family said the newborn died Wednesday after receiving hospital care.
The update said the medical team did everything it could to care for the baby and give him a chance to survive. It also said Tyson Hafen and the children were able to spend time with him, hold him, love him and say goodbye before he died.
The family described the loss as devastating, saying it found some comfort in the belief that the baby was now with his mother. The fundraiser said Tyson and the children had lost both Rebecca and the newborn.
Investigators say no charges are expected unless speed played a role
Utah Highway Patrol said no charges are expected against the driver unless investigators determine speed was a factor. If that changes, the Sanpete County Attorney’s Office would decide what charges, if any, are appropriate.
For now, the crash remains under review. Officials have not said what type of vehicle struck Hafen or whether any other circumstances may have contributed to the collision.
The available details place the focus on the shoulder of Dairy Lane, where Hafen was walking when the crash occurred. Troopers have not announced any broader traffic safety changes tied to the incident.
GoFundMe aims to cover medical bills and child care costs
The GoFundMe says donations will help the family with medical expenses, recovery-related needs and the care of the children as they cope with the loss. It also says the funds are intended to support the newborn’s care after the emergency delivery and NICU stay.
That help is especially important for a family that now faces a sudden loss of both a mother and a baby. The fundraiser frames the money as a way to help Tyson Hafen and the children manage grief while also handling day-to-day needs.
The page does not list a total raised in the information provided, but it makes clear the family is relying on community support during an especially difficult time.
Community grief centers on Hafen family in central Utah
Rebecca Hafen’s death has left a large family mourning in Sanpete County. The details shared by the fundraiser show the children were able to meet the newborn before he died, a final moment that the family said brought some measure of comfort.
Even so, the loss is severe: a mother, a pregnancy and a newborn all ended in the span of two days. The timing and circumstances have made the crash especially painful for relatives and neighbors who are now trying to help the family recover.
No additional public memorial details were included in the information available. For now, the family’s immediate focus appears to be grief, hospital bills and support for the children left behind.
What Utah Highway Patrol has said so far about the collision
UHP’s account places the crash in the early morning near a rural stretch of road in Moroni. Rebecca Hafen was on the shoulder, and the collision occurred before 8 a.m., when traffic conditions may have been changing quickly.
Authorities have not released further information about the driver or the vehicle involved. They also have not said whether weather, visibility or roadway conditions may have played a part.
Because investigators are still reviewing the case, the clearest confirmed facts remain the time, place and result: Hafen was hit while walking, she died at the hospital, and her newborn later died after emergency treatment.
Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.
