Driver Charged With Manslaughter After Deadly Crash on Virginia’s I-95

Driver Charged with Manslaughter

Five People Died

NTSB Investigates Crash

The driver of the bus involved in a crash early Friday morning on Interstate 95 in Virginia was charged with manslaughter after a collision that left at least five people dead and dozens injured.

State authorities and the National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, are investigating the circumstances of the crash, considered one of the most serious recently recorded on that highway.

Driver Faces Charges After the I-95 Virginia Crash

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According to CBS, Virginia State Police reported that Jing Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, was charged with two counts of manslaughter.

Authorities said additional charges are expected as the investigation moves forward.

Jing Dong was also injured during the crash.

According to police, the collision occurred around 2:35 a.m. in Stafford County.

The preliminary investigation indicates that the bus did not slow down despite traffic conditions.

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Authorities said the vehicle first struck a Chevrolet Suburban.

After that initial crash, the Suburban collided with an Acura SUV and other vehicles involved in the chain reaction.

Police said the bus ultimately crashed into a total of six vehicles.

A Family Was Traveling to a Wedding When the Tragedy Happened

Four of the fatal victims were traveling in the Acura SUV.

Authorities identified the deceased as a 45-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman, a 13-year-old girl, and a 7-year-old boy.

CBS News Boston reported that they were a family from Greenfield, Massachusetts.

The family was identified as Dmitri Doncev, Ecterina Doncev, Emily Doncev, and Mark Doncev.

According to CBS News Boston, they were headed to a family wedding in South Carolina.

Carolina Bublik, a relative of the victims, told the Associated Press that the ceremony planned for Sunday would also become a moment of mourning for the family.

“A son, a father, the whole family, everyone who was dear to us,” Bublik said.

She also said the family was transporting a vehicle loaded with homemade desserts prepared for the celebration.

According to the information provided, Ecterina Doncev had spent several days making those foods.

Bublik also said Dmitri Doncev worked as a nurse at Holyoke Medical Center.

Ecterina Doncev worked as a hairstylist.

The family had emigrated from Moldova to the United States in 2008 and later settled in Greenfield, Massachusetts.

Authorities Investigate What Happened Before the Crash

The fifth fatal victim was identified by police as Priscilla Mafalda, 25, of Worcester, Massachusetts.

Authorities reported that 44 other people were taken to area hospitals.

Three of them had serious injuries.

At the time of the accident, 34 people were traveling aboard the bus.

The preliminary investigation by Virginia police says traffic was slowing on Interstate 95 because of a work zone in the southbound lane.

According to investigators, the bus did not reduce speed as it approached that traffic congestion.

The NTSB is also participating in the investigation.

During a press conference, the agency said the bus was operated by E&P Travel, a company based in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.

The vehicle was transporting passengers from New York to North Carolina.

NTSB member Tom Chapman said it is still too early to determine exactly what was happening inside the bus before the collision.

He also said the agency will review the driver’s activities during the 72 hours before the crash.

Among the issues to be analyzed are possible sleep problems, distractions, and any potential factors related to drugs or alcohol.

The NTSB expects to publish a preliminary report on the I-95 Virginia crash within the next 30 days.