WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. — Wheat Ridge Police said on Wednesday they will not recommend charges for a crash on Interstate 70 near Ward Road last month that killed three people.
The Wheat Ridge Police Department posted on Facebook that they had found no probable cause to recommend criminal charges in the case.
"Our department made it a priority to deliver this news to the victims' family and walk them through the facts of the investigation, before announcing this to the public," the post read. "This was a tragic, heartbreaking accident and we want to give this family our full support."
Police said the investigation was done "in lockstep" with experts at the 1st Judicial District Attorney's Office. They said both of their teams agreed that based on "significant evidence gathered," there is no probable cause that a crime was committed in the crash.
The investigation entailed weeks of pouring over data, video evidence, the environmental conditions of the scene on I-70 and truck inspections, police said. An inspection performed on the truck one month before the crash found no issues. The truck was found to be about 8,000 pounds underweight when the driver pulled into a weigh station along I-70 about 40 minutes before the crash, according to police. It was also over-strapped for the pipes it was carrying and had no brake issues based on infrared scanning.
Black box data from the truck and other data points indicated the driver was going 59 mph in a posted 60 mph zone, police said. They found no signs of impairment or intoxication from the driver.
Police said the truck was carrying 100 plastic pipes that weighed about 500 pounds each when it rolled over on the morning of Aug. 15. The truck spilled its load of pipes onto the westbound lanes of the highway and hit several vehicles.
Five people were inside one of those vehicles. Three of them were killed. The other two were taken to the hospital.
The Jefferson County Coroner's Office identified the victims as:
- Ruben Rodriguez Garcia, 32
- Sindy Plata Martinez, 39
- Luz Martinez, 60
Rodriguez Garcia and Plata Martinez were married the Saturday before the crash. Martinez was Plata Martinez' mother, who was visiting from Colombia. Her father and the couple's young son survived. The driver of the semi was also taken to the hospital, where he was treated and released.
Wheat Ridge Police said at least seven vehicles including the semi-truck were involved in the incident which they described as a "series of crashes."
Police said the investigation is now considered closed.