The timeline below is based on Broadcastify recordings of Stafford County and Fredericksburg Fire and EMS dispatch. The first responders are referred to as dispatchers because their names and titles were unclear from the transmissions.
Around 2:40 a.m., a dispatcher said it “looks like the accident is going to be across multiple areas of I-95.”
Another dispatcher said multiple callers had reported that a bus had gone off the highway, and that another vehicle may have been involved in the collision.
“They advise that vehicle may be on fire,” he said. “They also said that there may be a fatality.”
Multiple fire and rescue units, including mutual aid, were called to head to the fiery scene.
Close to 2:50 a.m., another dispatcher recommended a mass casualty incident alarm, saying there were reports from the scene that “multiple people [were] jumping out windows” and “multiple vehicles [were] on fire.”
“Stafford, go ahead and dispatch with an MCI alarm,” a dispatcher responded.
Shortly after, a dispatcher advised there was a secondary accident that was blocking a lane on the left shoulder of the highway. The right shoulder was also blocked by a disabled vehicle, she said.
“We’re going to continue on to the fire,” she said.
About a half mile south of the bus crash, there was another crash with people trapped, a dispatcher said.
“I’ve got one vehicle fully involved in the left shoulder,” a dispatcher said.
“We have what appears to be three vehicles total,” she continued. “One [vehicle] in the number two, number three lane, we got one [vehicle] on the right shoulder, and a box truck off the roadway.”
Another dispatcher said the bus had gone down an embankment in the center island on the left shoulder.
A few minutes later, a dispatcher reported two fatalities in a vehicle at the site of the bus crash “and one driver essentially unaccounted for” in a truck beside it.
Another dispatcher said they were at the site with “the severely trapped” and asked that a helicopter be sent.
Close to 3 a.m., a dispatcher said they were declaring a mass casualty incident.
“We’re working on getting the patient count right now on the bus,” he added.
Another dispatcher said they were at the scene and working on extricating a pinned driver. The dispatcher requested a helicopter. Transport units appeared to have difficulty getting there, based on the recordings.
Dispatchers discussed how and where the helicopter would land to transport patients.
This photo, provided by the Virginia State Police, shows the scene of a fatal accident involving a bus on Interstate 95 near Quantico, Va., on May 29, 2026. Uncredited/Virginia State Police via AP
One dispatcher said there was “too much debris in the way.”
Around 3:10 a.m., a dispatcher said he had six patients in the north division of the crash scene — “two black, two red, two yellow.” He reported another couple dozen patients in the south division — “24 green, one red.”
Later, the status of patients in the north division was updated to “three black, two red, two yellow, one green.”
In mass casualty events, black tags are used for the deceased or those who will not survive their injuries. Red tags mean the patient cannot survive without immediate treatment, according to MedicineNet.com. A yellow tag means the patient is stable but requires observation, and green means they can wait for care.
The dispatcher requested another transport unit.
Near 3:15 a.m., another mass casualty incident alarm was called.
“We’re running out of units,” a dispatcher said.
Shannon Larson can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @shannonlarson98.
