Honeymooners and the bride’s mother were killed Thursday when a semi-truck overturned in Colorado, sending its load of large plastic pipes across the highway.
The tragedy unfolded just before 8:30 a.m. as Ruben Rodriguez and Juliana Rodriguez-Plata were driving along Interstate 70 near Denver with their 1-year-old son and Juliana’s parents, according to Wheat Ridge police.
The semi overturned and spilled 100 plastic pipes — each weighing 500 pounds — into oncoming traffic in both the eastbound and westbound lanes.
At least six cars were hit by the debris, including the one carrying the newly married couple and their family, grieving loved ones told Denver 7.
Ruben, Juliana and Juliana’s mother, Luz Melba Martinez, were killed in the accident.
The bride’s father, Carlos Joaquin Plata, and the couple’s 1-year-old son, Danny, were taken to the hospital with injuries.
The driver of the truck was also taken to hospital.
According to their loved ones, the family was on their way to the mountains for a honeymoon vacation when the disaster occurred.
Ruben and Juliana had been married just four days earlier, a milestone that Juliana’s parents had traveled from Colombia to witness.
“And then the child without both parents, you know? It’s hard. It’s hard for the family. So we’re just gathered here right now and just trying to be strong together,” Janell Rodriguez, Ruben’s sister-in-law, told the channel.
Police are still investigating how the fatal accident unfolded and are working with prosecutors to determine whether charges can be filed.
The investigation could take weeks, police warned, because the debris field stretched more than two football fields across the highway.
“Our hearts go out to the families affected by the tragic loss of life yesterday,” police said in a statement.