A charter bus driver from Staten Island, New York, Jing S. Dong, faces charges after a tragic crash in Virginia that resulted in five fatalities. According to the Virginia State Police, Dong is charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, with more charges pending.
The incident occurred on Interstate 95 in Stafford County. Dong allegedly drove his E&P Travel bus into an SUV in front of him, causing a chain reaction crash. This happened at around 2:35 a.m. on a Friday. The SUV’s driver collided with another car, which led to a horrific outcome.
A family from Greenfield, Massachusetts, lost their lives in the crash. Dmitri Doncev, 45, his wife Ecterina, 44, their 13-year-old daughter Emily, and 7-year-old son Mark were all in the vehicle that caught fire. A woman named Priscilla R. Mafalda, 25, from Worcester, Massachusetts, was also killed.
The crash resulted in multiple vehicles being struck as the bus failed to slow down for traffic near a work zone. The bus was en route from New York City to Charlotte, N.C. Many individuals were taken to hospitals following the accident.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy commented on the situation. He highlighted that Dong, a naturalized citizen from China, does not speak English, which violates federal regulations for bus drivers. These regulations require drivers to speak and understand English adequately to perform their duties safely.
Duffy emphasized the need for enforcing traffic rules and ensuring drivers are properly trained. He pointed out that the Transportation Department is investigating the driver’s licensing records and any entities that allowed him to operate unsafely.