A newlywed couple and relative were killed when a semi-truck overturned and scattered its load of plastic pipes across I-70 in Colorado.
The eastbound semi lost its load about 8:30 a.m. Aug. 15, sending about 100 blue plastic pipes, each weighing about 500 pounds, across all lanes, including westbound traffic, where the victims were driving, according to the Wheat Ridge Police Department.
The police department did not release any details about the truck driver or its cargo.
Ruben Rodriguez and Juliana Rodriguez Plata had just been married on Aug. 11. They were traveling with Luz Melba Martinez, who also died, and two family members who survived.
Carlos Plata, the bride's father and Martinez's husband, and Daniel Rodriguez Plata, the couple's 1-year-old son, were hospitalized in stable condition and later released.
"Luz Melba Martinez and Juliana's father, Carlos, were here from Colombia to celebrate the wedding. Now, Carlos is faced with the unimaginable pain of losing both his daughter and wife in such a short span of time," a GoFundMe page says.
The family had reached $55,800 toward a $95,000 goal as of Aug. 19. They are raising money for funeral costs and to support the late couple's son.
"I saw when the pipes were going, so I just closed my eyes and had no reaction. I just felt the impact, and when I woke up, I saw the baby crying and everyone else unconscious, not waking up," Plata told local news station Fox 31. "It was terrible — the accident, the image, all the blood. They were just instantly dead. Seeing my whole family, my daughter and my wife dead."
The accident happened in a construction zone with slower speeds posted.
The debris spanned across more than 200 yards on I-70, causing a series of crashes that involved a total of seven vehicles, including the semi-truck, police said in a Facebook post.
A third person also was hospitalized and released, police said. The investigation is still in its early stages.
"While we understand people want answers, this is an incredibly complicated investigation that will take weeks, not days, to complete. We are working in conjunction with our partners at the First Judicial DA's Office of Colorado on potential charges," police said.
The investigation is still in its early stages.