It should have been a time of joy and love, but just days after the wedding, the lives of a newlywed couple ended tragically. Ruben Rodriguez and Juliana Rodriguez-Plata were killed in a devastating accident on Interstate 70 in Colorado. Their life together ended abruptly and heartbreakingly.
The couple was traveling westbound on I-70 near Wheat Ridge, Colorado, with Juliana’s parents and their one-year-old son, Daniel, around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 15. Their lives were turned upside down when an eastbound semi-truck lost control, overturned, and scattered its load of large pipes across the highway. The debris stretched across two football fields and struck several vehicles, including the one carrying Ruben, Juliana, and their family.
Wheat Ridge police are still trying to piece together the sequence of events that led to the tragedy. They confirmed that the semi’s load, which included nearly 100 large blue plastic tubes weighing about 500 pounds each that were strewn across the westbound lanes, contributed to a series of crashes involving at least seven vehicles. The exact cause of the semi’s loss of control is under investigation, and authorities have cautioned that determining all the details will take time.
Amid the rubble, Juliana’s father, Carlos Plata, was left with the unimaginable pain of losing his daughter, wife Luz Melba Martinez, and son-in-law Ruben Rodriguez in an instant. In a harrowing account he shared with Fox 31, Plata described the terrifying moment the pipes barreled toward their vehicle.
“I saw when the pipes broke, so I just closed my eyes and didn’t react. I just felt the impact and woke up out of nowhere and just saw the baby crying and everyone was unconscious and didn’t wake up,” he said. “It was horrible, the accident, the image, all the blood. They were dead instantly. I saw my whole family, my daughter and my wife dead.”
Juliana’s parents had travelled from Colombia to celebrate their daughter’s wedding, a joyous occasion that took place just days before the fatal accident. The family’s tragedy is compounded by the fact that Daniel, Rubens and Juliana’s young son, now faces a future without his parents. The family had celebrated his first birthday on Sunday, just one day after the wedding, making the loss even more poignant.
Family members and friends are grappling with the sudden and heartbreaking loss of Ruben, Juliana and Luz Melba. In a post on a GoFundMe page set up to support the family, Janell Rodriguez, a relative, expressed the deep sadness of all who knew the couple.
“Today has been one of the hardest days we have ever experienced. We are deeply saddened to announce that Ruben Rodriguez, Juliana Rodriguez Plata and Luz Melba Martinez were taken from us in a tragic accident,” she wrote. “Ruben and Juliana had just begun their beautiful journey together after celebrating their wedding last Saturday. They leave behind their beloved one-year-old son, Daniel.”
Juliana’s niece and nephew, Tony and Esli Rodriguez, shared their sadness and disbelief with Fox 31. Esli Rodriguez spoke about how Ruben was happier than he’d ever been after finding love and starting a family with Juliana. “I haven’t fully grasped it yet, but when I think about it, I just want to cry because he was happy, meeting her and having a child. I’ve never seen him so happy,” Esli said.
As the investigation continues, Wheat Ridge police have stressed the complexity of the case and indicated that it will take weeks, not days, to gather all the necessary facts and evidence. In a statement on social media, police expressed their condolences to the families affected by the tragedy and assured them of their full support.
“While we understand that people want answers, this is an incredibly complex investigation that will take weeks, not days. We are working with our partners at the Colorado Attorney General’s Office on possible charges,” the statement said.
The community has rallied around the grieving family and launched the GoFundMe campaign to help cover funeral expenses and support young Daniel. As they deal with the overwhelming loss of three beloved family members, the Rodriguez and Plata families are finding comfort in their faith and the outpouring of love and support from friends, family and even strangers.
