Woman struck, killed on I-40

By Leslie Wood
Staff Writer

GALLUP — A 24-year-old Window Rock, Ariz., woman was killed early Thursday when she was struck by a tractor- trailer truck traveling along Interstate Highway 40.

Erin Toadlena-Pablo, a spokeswoman for the Gallup Police Department, identified the victim as Valvina Tso.

Tso was struck by a tractor-trailer traveling west near mile marker 21 at about 1:50 a.m. Tso’s body was discovered on the interstate’s shoulder and she was pronounced dead by a medical investigator a short time later. Reports indicate the tractor-trailer’s driver and passenger were “devastated” following the incident.

Tso’s body was transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner in Albuquerque to determine to what extent alcohol contributed to her death.

Toadlena-Pablo said investigators located Tso’s acquaintances who admitted to dropping her off on the side of the roadway at her request. The group had been drinking alcohol before Tso became upset about an unknown issue.

“It’s looking more like an accident,” Toadlena-Pablo said of the collision.

Officers will await toxicology test results to make a final determination as to what caused Tso’s death.

Sheriff’s deputies temporarily re-routed traffic around the scene until officers completed their investigation.