Here are five things to know about him:
He was married and had two young children
The 38-year-old El Salvador native was known as a loving family man, CNN affiliate KCAL reported.
His young son was among
the first to arrive at the scene after the accident, said Jim Torp, a
car enthusiast who was at the same charity event as Rodas and Walker. "I
knew his son was heading towards the accident. And he got past me
because he knew there was a fire and he wanted to see it. But he didn't
know it was his dad until he saw the car."
He was a financial planner
Rodas was a managing
director of wealth management for Bank of America Merrill Lynch. His
LinkedIn profile noted that he was recognized on Barron's list of
America's top 1,000 advisers each year from 2010 to 2012. Walker was a
client; Rodas reorganized his portfolio, according to Merrill Lynch.
He loved racing
Rodas met Walker at a
California race club. He was driving a Porsche that Walker had
previously owned. "Soon the two were racing side by side," and at one
point teamed up "with two professional drivers in a pro-am 25-hour
endurance race" in Thunder Hill, California, Merrill Lynch says on its
website.
He created and owned a racing shop
Rodas was the owner of
Always Evolving, a racing shop in Los Angeles. He was also captain of
its racing team. Walker is listed as a driver on the team, according to
the team's website.
On its Facebook page,
the shop posted a message Sunday: "Thank you all for your condolences
and prayers while we mourn the loss of our loved ones." The post has
hundreds of comments, including this from Natalie White: "RIP Paul and
Roger. You two will be missed, and your lives will be remembered and
shared in the memories you left behind in your friends, family, and
fans."
He was a philanthropist
First, Rodas had a
charity of his own, raising money to help orphans and widows in El
Salvador. Then, he and Walker created Reach Out Worldwide, a network of
first responders who help in the wake of natural disasters. The
organization was holding a charity event, which Rodas and Walker
attended just before the car they were in crashed nearby.
Link to source: http://edition.cnn.com
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