Four from Greenfield dead after bus hits cars in Virginia, bus driver charged

STAFFORD, Va. (WWBT/AP) – A bus struck six vehicles on Interstate 95 in Virginia early Friday as traffic slowed for a work zone, killing five people and injuring 34, including the driver, authorities said.

The crash happened around 2:35 a.m. on I-95 south near the 146 mile marker in Stafford County, the Virginia State Police said.

An investigation showed traffic was slowing for an upcoming work zone when a bus did not slow down and hit six vehicles.

Five people died in the vehicles hit by the bus, while 34 people were taken to the hospital – three with serious injuries.

Virginia State Police said late Friday afternoon that four of those who died were from Greenfield: a 45-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman, a 13-year-old girl, and a seven-year-old boy. The fifth victim, a 25-year-old female from Worcester, was in the Suburban that was struck by the bus.

Greenfield Mayor Virginia DeSorgher said in a statement:

“Our entire community is shocked and profoundly heartbroken by the tragic news coming out of Virginia. Early this morning, a horrific crash took the lives of five people, and we have received the painful confirmation that four of those individuals were residents of Greenfield.

To the families, friends, and neighbors of those we lost: there are no words that can fully ease the weight of this sudden and unimaginable grief. Please know that you are not walking through this dark time alone. The Greenfield community stands with you, mourning alongside you, and we extend our absolute deepest condolences and prayers.

We are also holding the dozens of others who were injured in this crash in our thoughts, wishing them a full and swift recovery.

The City of Greenfield is fully committed to supporting those affected by this horrible loss. In the coming days and weeks, we will work to ensure that the grieving families have access to the resources, care, and comfort they need. I ask all Greenfield residents to wrap your arms around our neighbors with the compassion, kindness, and unity that defines our community.”

It was not immediately known what the bus was being used for or how many people were aboard.

“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 on the scene. “I’ve got to say, this is one of the most tragic things I’ve ever seen. Absolutely tragic.”

Mary Washington Healthcare said it received 19 patients from the crash. It posted online that seven of the patients were taken to its trauma center in Fredericksburg, where four were being discharged and three remained in treatment — one in serious condition and two in critical condition. Twelve were taken to its hospital in Stafford, where they were later discharged in good condition.

The crash is under investigation and charges are pending, police said. The National Transportation Safety Board posted online Friday that it was sending a “go-team” to conduct a safety investigation into the crash and that it would have a spokesperson at the scene.

The southbound lanes had reopened by noon Friday, but traffic was still backed up for a couple of miles, according to a state transportation advisory.

Passengers describe chaos inside the bus

Two of the surviving passengers, bruised and shaken, described what it was like inside the bus in an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch outside the hospital where they had been examined.

Rhonda Wright and Wayne Tobin said they sensed something was wrong well before the crash, describing the driver as reckless and the bus as traveling at extremely high speeds before it slammed into the slowing traffic.

The initial collision was only the start of their terror, they said — the bus kept moving, striking one vehicle after another as passengers screamed, smoke filled the interior and belongings flew through the air.

“The bus was still going, still hitting cars,” Wright said. “We felt like we were in a death trap because there was no way to stop the bus.”

When the bus finally stopped, people scrambled to escape through the windows. Tobin said he emerged covered in blood from other passengers. Wright said one man’s teeth had been knocked out.

“I’m 64 years old, and I thought I was going to die,” Wright said. “I’m just glad I’m alive today.”

Tobin was headed to Raleigh for his mother’s funeral. Wright was traveling farther to Greensboro to visit family. Both were missing their phones and identification in the wreckage of the bus.

“My wallet is in there, my ID is in there, my phone is in there,” Wright said. “You can’t do anything without your ID.”

Bus company had satisfactory record

The bus was operated by E&P Travel, Inc., based in Kings Mountain, N.C. A compliance snapshot from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration showed only one injury accident involving the company’s vehicles in the previous two years, and listed its compliance rating as “satisfactory.”

The company was incorporated Nov. 24, 2023, by Shuo Liu, according to records from the North Carolina Secretary of State’s office. Liu is also listed as the registered agent. The FMCSA site said the company operated four vehicles and had 11 drivers.

While it is too soon to say what caused Friday’s crash, federal authorities have been grappling with interstate passenger bus safety issues for decades.

Following a series of passenger bus crashes in 2008 that killed 41 people, the U.S. Department of Transportation published a Motorcoach Safety Action Plan.

The NTSB investigated 16 fatal motorcoach crashes between June 1998 and January 2008, finding that driver-related problems such as fatigue, medical condition, and inattention accounted for 56 percent of the accidents. The agency said driver-related problems were responsible for 60 percent of the fatalities in those crashes.

Among the actions recommended were creation of a pre-employment driver history screening program, and a national drug- and alcohol-testing database “to enable motorcoach operators to determine if drivers have a history of violating DOT alcohol or drug rules.”

UPDATE: Virginia State Police spokesperson Matthew Demlein announced on Saturday that the driver of the bus, 48-year-old Jing S. Dong of Staten Island, N.Y. has been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. Additional charges are pending.

The crash still remains under investigation at this time.

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Associated Press contributors include Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H. Breed reported from Wake Forest, N.C. and Verduzco from Kings Mountain, N.C.