A bus crash in Virginia killed five people in one family, including two children, and another unidentified woman. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
The bus driver whose bus crashed into cars on a Virginia highway Friday will face charges for the accident.
Charges are pending for bus driver Jing S. Dong, 48, of New York City. Police have said car drivers had slowed for a construction zone, and the bus crashed into them, killing 5 people.
The accident happened Friday afternoon on I-95 in Stafford County, Va., near Quantico. All five of the people who died were in the vehicles hit by the bus, and 44 people were taken to hospitals, including three in critical condition, PBS News reported.
Police said there were about 34 passengers on the bus.
“We’ve got patients in multiple hospitals. We’ve got the driver at a hospital here,” said Peyton Vogel, a Federal Transit Administration spokesperson who was at the scene. “I’ve got to say, this is one of the most tragic things I’ve ever seen. Absolutely tragic.”
Four of the people killed were in one car that caught fire, and PBS was able to identify them from a school press release as from one family of Greenfield, Mass. CBS News reported that family members confirmed their identities. They were two adults Dmitri Doncev, 45, Ecaterina Doncev, 44, their daughter Emily, 13, and son Mark, 7.
“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,” Providence Christian Academy said in a statement.
The Doncev family were members of a Russian Baptist Church who were heading to a wedding in South Carolina, CBS reported.
“Today, words cannot adequately express the pain and sorrow felt by their family, friends, church community, coworkers, classmates and all who had the privilege of knowing them. Their absence leaves a void that can never be filled, but their memories, their love, and the countless lives they touched will remain forever in our hearts,” a statement from the family said. “Though their time with us was far too short, the legacy of kindness, faith, perseverance, and love that they leave behind will continue to inspire all who knew them.”
The fifth victim was a 25-year-old woman from Worcester, Mass., who was driving an SUV struck by the bus.
State police identified the bus company as E&P Travel. It is listed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as a company in Kings Mountain, N.C., with four buses and 11 drivers.
The administration’s website lists four violations: three related to allegations of driving 15 mph over the speed limit and one allegation of a driver who could not satisfy English proficiency requirements.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X: “Local police confirm the driver of this motorcoach — a man from China who became a U.S. citizen — doesn’t speak English. He received his commercial drivers license from New York State in 2024.
“Unacceptable. 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.”
Dong’s English ability hasn’t been independently verified.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger posted on X: “My heart is with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and I am praying for a quick recovery for those injured.”
