WHEAT RIDGE, Colorado – A newlywed couple on their way to their honeymoon were killed Thursday morning when a tractor-trailer loaded with pipe overturned on Interstate 70 in Wheat Ridge.

According to Eric Kellogg, chief of the Wheat Ridge Police Department, the accident occurred around 8:21 a.m. between Ward Road and 32nd Avenue.

The tractor-trailer, which was carrying large, blue plastic pipes, was traveling east on I-70 when it overturned. When it crashed into the road, the pipes broke free from the truck and spilled into the east and westbound lanes of I-70, causing at least three other vehicles to crash, Kellogg said.

Three passengers in 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 one-year-old son, Daniel “Danny,” were also in the car and were injured in the crash.

The driver of the semi-trailer was also injured, Kellogg said.

Janell Rodriguez

Her family told Denver7 that the two got married last Saturday.

“They set goals for their child early on, maybe having more children together, and just living a normal life and their love story was just beginning,” said Janell Rodriguez, Ruben’s sister-in-law.

The couple’s love story ended on Thursday morning. The newlyweds, their son and Juliana’s parents, who had traveled from Colombia, were on their way to the mountains to spend their honeymoon.

“We were just happy. We were just having fun. And then we got the news that they were gone,” Janell said.

According to the family, the five were traveling west when they were involved in the accident.

“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,” Janell explained.

The family is trying to understand how the semi-trailer overturned and why a young couple’s lives were taken so early.

“And then the baby without both parents, you know? It’s hard. It’s hard for the family. That’s why we’re here together now and trying to be strong together,” Janell said.

The family has launched an online fundraiser, GoFundMe, to help pay for funeral expenses.

According to the police, the investigation into the accident is still at an early stage.