Bus driver in crash that killed 5 people, injured 44 on Virginia interstate charged with manslaughter
By Devon M. Sayers, Rebekah Riess, Alaa Elassar, CNN
(CNN) — A bus driver who is accused of failing to slow down for traffic and crashing into six cars, which left five people dead and dozens of others injured near Quantico, Virginia, has been arrested and charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, the Virginia State Police said Saturday.
Additional charges are pending, police said in a statement.
Traffic was slowing in the southbound lanes of Interstate 95, due to a work zone ahead, when the bus struck the other vehicles around 2:35 a.m. Friday, police said.
“A tour bus, travelling southbound at a high rate of speed, struck one or more vehicles that were moving slowly through a work zone, causing a chain reaction crash involving at least 8 vehicles,” Stafford Commonwealth’s Attorney Eric Olsen said in a news release Saturday.
The bus was operated by North Carolina-based company E&P Travel and was heading from New York City to Charlotte, North Carolina, when the crash happened, according to state police. A total of 34 people were in the bus.
State police identified the driver as 48-year-old Jing S. Dong of Staten Island, New York.
Authorities are looking into Dong’s “actions prior to the crash,” according to Matt Demlein with Virginia State Police.
Olsen said he has determined “probable cause presently exists to establish that the driver of the tour bus caused this crash and, at the time of the crash, he was driving in a criminally negligent manner.”
Dong is being hospitalized while in custody. He will be held without bond and will have his first court appearance after his release from the hospital, Olsen said.
CNN has reached out to E&P Travel for comment and is working to confirm whether Dong has an attorney.
The five people killed were not on the bus, Demlein said. Four of the victims were in the same struck vehicle, including two children, while the fifth was in another struck vehicle. The victims ranged in age from 7 to 45 years old, he added.
Multiple fire and rescue departments responded, including 13 transport units, two heavy rescue squads, multiple engines and trucks, and Fire and Emergency Services from the Quantico Marine Corps Base, according to Stafford County fire officials.
Crews arriving at the site of the accident “encountered a devastating scene involving multiple vehicles, numerous injured occupants, and several vehicles on fire,” the Stafford County Fire Fighters Union said on Facebook.
“Both Stafford County Heavy Rescue companies worked extensively to extricate multiple trapped victims while engine company personnel simultaneously operated to suppress vehicle fires and secure the incident scene,” the union said.
An additional 44 people were injured because of the crash, Demlein said. Three of the 44 people transported to area hospitals sustained critical injuries, according to state police.
Nineteen patients were taken to Mary Washington Healthcare hospitals after the crash, the healthcare system told CNN in a statement.
Five of those patients continue to be cared for at the trauma center at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, including one who remains in critical condition, two in serious condition and two in fair condition.
Another 12 patients were taken to Stafford Hospital in Stafford, Virginia, and have been discharged, the healthcare system said.
Another 15 patients were taken to Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center. They were found to be in “good condition” and were treated and released, according to HCA Healthcare.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said the department is assisting with the crash investigation and is reviewing Dong’s training documentation, driver history and New York licensing records.
“My heart is with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and I am praying for a quick recovery for those injured,” Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said in a statement.
NTSB investigating cause of the crash
The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a parallel safety investigation into the deadly crash and investigators were on the scene of the crash site Saturday, NTSB board member Tom Chapman said during a news conference.
The investigation will examine the bus driver’s actions during and prior to the crash, possible issues with the vehicle, and highway conditions, such as speed limit signs and work zone design, Chapman said. Officials are also reviewing traffic management measures and whether the growing backup of vehicles was being monitored.
The NTSB expects to release a preliminary report on the crash within 30 days, though a final investigative report detailing its findings and any safety recommendations could take between one and two years to complete, according to Chapman.
Investigators are examining whether driver fatigue, impairment, a medical event or other human factors may have contributed to the crash.
“We do a 72-hour look back to see what the driver’s activities were during the days leading up to the crash, so we’re looking for sleep issues, distraction issues, potential drug and alcohol issues,” Chapman said.
Investigators have not yet determined the driver’s speed at the time of the crash, he added.
“If there was any braking, there wasn’t much,” Chapman said, adding that investigators have not yet determined the vehicle’s precise speed or what was occurring inside the bus in the moments before the collision.
NTSB investigator Eric Gregson said a six-member investigative team has been deployed, with specialists examining different aspects of the crash, such as occupant injuries and seat belt use, emergency response efforts, weather conditions and motor carrier compliance with safety regulations.
Investigators are seeking dashboard camera footage, in-vehicle video and recordings from other motorists who may have witnessed the collision and urged witnesses to send the NTSB any videos they have.
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