Virginia Bus Crash: Driver Faces New Charges

The bus driver involved in a tragic highway crash in Virginia, which resulted in the loss of five lives, has been indicted on additional charges. Prosecutors announced on Monday that Jing Sheng Dong, a 48-year-old tour bus driver from Staten Island, New York, now faces three more felony counts related to the deaths, as well as a misdemeanor charge for reckless driving. This is in addition to his previous charges of two counts of involuntary manslaughter filed on Saturday.

Each charge of involuntary manslaughter could lead to a prison sentence of up to 10 years, as stated by Stafford Commonwealth District Attorney Eric Olsen. Nearly 50 people were injured in the crash, including Dong, who remains hospitalized. Upon his release, he will be transferred to the Rappahannock Regional Jail.

The accident occurred on the morning of May 30, as traffic was slowing in the southbound lanes of Interstate 95 in Stafford County, due to a work zone. Virginia State Police report that the bus driver allegedly failed to reduce speed for the traffic and collided with six vehicles at approximately 2:35 a.m. The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating the incident, along with state police. The bus was operated by E&P Travel of Kings Mountain, North Carolina, transporting passengers from New York to North Carolina.

During the crash, the bus first struck a Chevrolet Suburban, which then hit an Acura SUV and several other vehicles. Four people in the Acura lost their lives, as well as one individual in the Suburban. The victims in the Acura were a family from Greenfield, Massachusetts—Dmitri Doncev, 45, his wife Ecterina, 44, their daughter Emily, 13, and their son Mark, 7. They were traveling to a wedding in South Carolina. The victim in the Suburban was identified as 25-year-old Priscilla Mafalda from Worcester, Massachusetts.