Honeymoon-bound newlyweds killed after semi rolls over on I-70 in Wheat Ridge

A newlywed couple on the way to their honeymoon was killed Thursday morning after a semi-truck carrying pipes rolled over on Interstate 70 in Wheat Ridge .

The crash happened around 8:21 a.m. between Ward Rd. and 32nd Ave., according to Eric Kellogg, division chief of the Wheat Ridge Police Department.

The semi — which was carrying large, blue plastic piping — was traveling east along I-70 when it flipped over. As it crashed onto the road, the piping came off the truck and spilled onto the eastbound and westbound lanes of I-70, causing at least three other vehicles to crash, Kellogg said.

Three people inside one of those vehicles were killed. Family members identified them as Ruben Rodriguez, 33, Juliana Rodriguez Plata, 37, and Juliana's mother, Luz Melba Martinez. Juliana's father, Carlos Joaquin Plata, and the couple's 1-year-old son, Daniel "Danny," were also in the car and were injured in the crash.

The driver of the semi-truck was also injured, Kellogg said.

Janell Rodriguez

Their family told Denver7 the two had tied the knot this past Saturday.

"They were setting goals early for their kid, possibly have more children together and just had a normal life and just getting to begin their love story," said Janell Rodriguez, Ruben's sister-in-law.

The couple's love story came to an end Thursday morning. The newlyweds, their son and Juliana's parents, who were in town from Colombia, were heading up to the mountains for their honeymoon.

"We were just happy. We were just having fun. And then we get this news that they're gone," said Janell.

According to the family, the five were heading westbound when they were involved in the crash.

"We just want to know exactly what happened because they were on the other side of the highway. They weren't even near the semi-truck," explained Janell.

The family is trying to comprehend how the semi-truck flipped and why a young couple's life was taken away too soon.

"And then the baby without both of his parents, you know? It's hard. It's hard for the family. So we're just gathered here right now just trying to be strong together," said Janell.

The family has created a GoFundMe online fundraiser in order to help pay for funeral expenses.

The investigation into the crash is in its early stages, according to police.

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