The driver of a passenger bus involved in a crash that killed a Massachusetts family of four and a Worcester woman on Interstate 95 in Virginia has been charged, according to Virginia State Police.
Jing S. Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, now faces two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the collision, which occurred around 2:35 a.m. Friday on southbound I-95 near Quantico, according to a Virginia State Police news release. Authorities say the bus failed to slow for traffic and struck a Chevrolet Suburban, police said.
The impact pushed the Suburban into an Acura SUV and additional vehicles. The bus also struck several other vehicles, police said.
Among those killed were a 45-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman, a 13-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, all from Greenfield, Massachusetts. All were in the Acura, which police said caught fire after the collisions.
Police did not release their names, but a statement from the school the children attended in Greenfield said they were Dmitri and Ecaterina Doncev and their children, Emily and Mark.
“The Doncev family was a cherished part of our school community, and their loss is being felt deeply by our students, families, faculty, and staff,” the school said in a statement.
Yahoo is reporting the family was traveling to a wedding at the time of the collision.
Police on Saturday evening identified the fifth person killed as Priscilla R. Mafalda, 25, of Worcester, Massachusetts, who was riding in the Suburban struck by the bus.
In total, about 44 people were transported to area hospitals, including three with critical injuries, according to state police. The bus was carrying about 34 occupants at the time of the collision.
Nineteen individuals injured in the collisions were transported to Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg. As of 3 p.m. Saturday, four remain hospitalized including one person who is in critical condition, two who are in serious condition and one who is in fair condition, according to a post on the Mary Washington Healthcare Facebook page.
Fifteen others have been discharged from the hospital.
Dong was injured in the crash and police said additional charges are pending as the investigation continues.
"The crash remains under investigation at this time," authorities said Saturday. "State Police are also looking into the bus driver’s actions prior to the crash."
In a statement posted Friday on X, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said investigators are reviewing Dong's commercial driver's license records, training documentation and driving history. Duffy alleged Dong lacked sufficient English proficiency and said investigators would scrutinize any company, trainer or school involved in certifying him to drive.
"Unacceptable," Duffy wrote. "This is exactly why we are holding states accountable, enforcing the rules of the road, and cracking down on drivers who can’t speak English."
"If you can’t be properly trained, read our road signs, or communicate with law enforcement, you have no business driving a bus," Duffy added.
The bus was operated by E&P Travel Inc., a North Carolina-based company. Federal records show the carrier had a "satisfactory" safety rating and one injury crash reported over the previous two years.
Virginia State Police said additional charges are also pending against Dong.
The crash remains under investigation by Virginia State Police, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
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