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 From Left to Right: Carlos Joaquin Plata (Juliana's father), Juliana Rodriguez Plata, Ruben Rodriguez, Luz Melba Rodriguez (Juliana's mother)
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.
At Denver7, we're committed to making a difference in our community. We're standing up for what's right by listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the featured videos in the playlist above.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0