WEST OF DENVER, CO – Tragedy struck just days after a joyous wedding when a newlywed couple and the bride’s mother died in a highway accident. Ruben Rodriguez, 33, and Juliana Rodriguez Plata, 37, along with Plata’s mother, Luz Melba Martinez, were killed when a semi-truck’s large plastic tubes cargo spilled onto Interstate 70, causing a fatal pileup.
In the aftermath of the collision, the deceased bride’s father, Carlos Joaquin Plata, and the couple’s 1-year-old son, Danny, survived but were left injured, according to Janell Rodriguez, Ruben Rodriguez’s sister-in-law. The semi-truck tipped over, causing around 100 plastic tubes, weighing approximately 500 pounds each, to scatter across the highway lanes, police reports stated.
The Rodriguez couple, newly married on August 10, was reportedly on a honeymoon trip to the mountains when the devastating incident transpired. “It’s hard for the family. So we’re just gathered here right now just trying to be strong together,” Janell Rodriguez expressed sympathetically.
Police confirmed that discussions are ongoing with prosecutors regarding potential charges related to the accidents initiated by the semitruck overturning. The incident involved an estimated six other vehicles, creating a debris field stretching well over two football fields in length.
Given the scale and complexity of the accident scene, police advised that the investigation could take several weeks.