WAWAYANDA – A mother, her 9-year-old daughter and another woman were killed when their car ran out of gas on Interstate 84 and was struck by a tractor trailer early Wednesday morning.

Two dogs in the car were also killed.

The accident happened between exits 3 and 2, and that section of I-84 was closed for about eight hours. Westbound traffic was detoured to Route 6.

State police Capt. Brendan Casey said an Orange County 911 operator received a call from the car’s driver, Jesenia E. Valentin, 29, of Bridgeport, Conn., at 3:40 a.m. She said she was out of gas and that she was on I-84 in Orange County but was unable to give a more specific location.

Valentin was on the line with the 911 operator for three minutes when the car, a 2006 Volkswagen Passat, was struck by a westbound tractor trailer. The 911 operator heard the sound of the crash, then the line was cut off.

The 2014 Freightliner tractor trailer pushed the Passat into the median, where both came to rest.

Valentin, her 9-year-old daughter, Angelina Rodriguez, and another adult woman in the front passenger seat who has yet to be identified were all killed. Valentin was the only one wearing a seat belt.

At 3:44 a.m., a passing motorist called 911, stating that a tractor trailer was off the road. That person did not realize there also was a car involved.

The first state police arrived on the scene at 3:50 a.m.

The truck was registered to Auto Zone and operated by Gino Ruggiero, 52, from Sugar Loaf, Pa. He has not been charged in connection with the accident, and Casey described him as “extremely upset.”

“It’s just a tragedy all around,” said Casey.

I-84 in the area of the accident is straight. The driver, who also called 911 to report the accident, told police he saw the car, with its hazard lights on, but he thought it was moving, though slowly, Casey said. When he realized it was not moving, it was too late to avoid the impact.

Casey said there was “some indication” the tractor trailer’s brakes were applied, but he could not say at what point that was done. Ruggerio’s log was in order, and he’d had sufficient rest, Casey said.

Casey said the accident was a good illustration of why it is dangerous to leave a vehicle disabled in the driving lanes of any roadway. Drivers should make every effort to put a stalled car in neutral, move it off the roadway, and then get out and move to the safety of the shoulder or the woods beyond.

mrandall@th-record.com