Jing S. Dong Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter After I-95 Crash Killed Five In Virginia

A bus driver, Jing S. Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter after a crash on Interstate 95 in Stafford County, Virginia, killed five people and injured dozens of others.

“Bus driver charged with manslaughter in massive crash that killed 5 on I-95 in Virginia Forty-four people were hospitalized, including three with critical injuries”

ABC News

Virginia State Police said the collision occurred around 2:35 a.m. Friday at mile marker 146 on southbound I-95, when the bus failed to slow for traffic that was slowing for an upcoming work zone.

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The bus struck a Chevrolet Suburban, which then hit an Acura SUV and additional vehicles, and the Acura caught fire after the collisions.

In the Acura, police identified four victims as 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, while the fifth victim was identified as 25-year-old Priscilla R. Mafalda of Worcester, Massachusetts.

Rhonda Wright told The Washington Post that the bus she was riding on “It jolted me awake, and I heard bang, bang, bang. The bus was going really, really fast,” describing the moment the crash hit the first vehicle.

The NTSB said it was still “too early yet to know exactly what was happening on board the vehicle,” with board member Tom Chapman saying it was “fairly clear that if there was any braking, there wasn't much.”

CBS News

Chapman said investigators were also doing a “72-hour look back” to examine the driver’s activities in the days leading up to the crash, including “sleep issues, distraction issues, potential drug and alcohol issues.”

Federal and state investigators said they were looking into the bus driver’s actions before the crash, including whether the driver did any braking prior to the accident to avoid it.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said investigators are reviewing Dong's commercial driver's license records, training documentation and driving history, and he wrote “Unacceptable,” in a statement posted Friday on X.

Duffy alleged Dong lacked sufficient English proficiency and said investigators would scrutinize any company, trainer or school involved in certifying him to drive, adding “If you can’t be properly trained, read our road signs, or communicate with law enforcement, you have no business driving a bus,”.

The crash remains under investigation by Virginia State Police, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, with the NTSB dispatched a “go-team” to investigate and expected to hold its first briefing Saturday afternoon.

In addition to the involuntary manslaughter charges, Virginia State Police said additional charges were pending as the investigation continues, while the bus was operated by E&P Travel Inc., a North Carolina-based company.