5 killed, dozens injured when bus plows into several vehicles near work zone on Virginia highway
At least five people were killed, and nearly four dozen more injured, in a crash in Virginia overnight when a bus plowed into several vehicles near a work zone on Interstate 95, according to the Virginia State Police. The driver of the bus could face charges, state police said.
The accident took place at about 2:35 a.m. Eastern Time in Stafford County when a bus, operated by E&P Travel, was heading from New York City to Charlotte, North Carolina.
The bus “failed to slow for traffic” and crashed into six vehicles, state police said. The bus first struck a Chevrolet Suburban, which then hit an Acura SUV and additional vehicles. Four people in the Acura was killed, along with one person in the Suburban.
The four people killed in the the Acura, which caught fire after the collision, were identified as a 45-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman, a 13-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, state police said. All four were from Greenfield, Massachusetts.
Virginia State Police
The victim from the Suburban was identified as a 25-year-old woman from Worcester, Massachusetts, state police said. No names were immediately released.
In addition to the deaths, 44 people were taken to the hospital, police said.
State police identified the driver of the bus, who was also injured, as 48-year-old Jing S. Dong of Staten Island, New York.
“Charges are pending against” Dong, state police said, adding that investigators are “looking into the bus driver’s actions prior to the crash.” No further details were provided.
Seven adults were taken to Mary Washington Hospital in nearby Fredericksburg, Virginia, including one in critical condition and two in serious condition, Mary Washington Healthcare representatives said in a news conference. One of the patients was treated and released. Multiple patients had life threatening injuries and underwent surgery.
Another twelve patients who were taken to Stafford Hospital in Stafford, Virginia, were treated and released, Mary Washington Healthcare representatives said.
The National Transportation Safety Board said in a social media post Friday that it was sending a “go-team” to conduct a safety investigation into the crash.
“I’ve got to say, this is one of the most tragic things I’ve ever seen,” Peyton Vogel, a Federal Transit Administration spokesperson who was on the scene, told the Associated Press. “Absolutely tragic.”
An initial investigation showed traffic was slowing in the southbound lane as cars approached a work zone when the bus failed to slow for traffic, Virginia State Police said. The National Transportation Safety Board said it is sending a team to conduct an investigation into the crash as well.
Since then, a Virginia State Police spokesperson confirmed two additional crashes in the vicinity of the original crash location, CBS affiliate WUSA-TV reported.
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