No crime was committed in the I-70 accident that killed the newlywed couple and the bride's mother

WHEAT RIDGE, Colorado – The Wheat Ridge Police Department announced Wednesday that it has completed its investigation into an August crash on Interstate 70 that killed a newlywed couple and the bride's mother, and has concluded that no crime was committed.

The accident occurred at about 8:21 a.m. on August 15 in a construction zone between Ward Road and 32nd Avenue, according to Eric Kellogg, chief of the Wheat Ridge Police Department.

A tractor-trailer loaded with large, blue plastic pipes was traveling east on I-70 when it overturned. When it crashed into the road, the pipes came loose from the truck and fell into the eastbound 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.

In its statement Wednesday, Wheat Ridge police said they conducted their investigation jointly with the First Judicial District Attorney's Office, both of which concluded that there was “no reasonable suspicion that a crime was committed that day.”

The police department said its accident and traffic team reviewed data, videos, environmental highway conditions and inspections of the tractor-trailer before making the decision.

According to Wheat Ridge PD, no defects were found on the vehicle during an inspection conducted in July.

An additional inspection was conducted 40 minutes before the crash at a Colorado State Patrol Port of Entry weigh station along I-70. Wheat Ridge police said the inspection revealed the vehicle was 8,000 pounds underweight, was “over-strapped” for the pipes it was carrying, and did not have any braking issues.

Data from the vehicle's black box showed the semi was traveling at 59 mph in a 60 mph zone. Wheat Ridge police said there were no signs of impairment or intoxication by the driver and the trucking company was “fully cooperative” throughout the investigation.

Wheat Ridge police called the incident a “tragic, heartbreaking accident” and said they had spoken to the victim's family about their findings. The police department said the investigation is now considered closed.

Following the accident, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) implemented safety measures at the construction site, lowered the speed limit from 60 to 55 miles per hour, and installed new signage.