Virginia I-95 bus driver indicted on additional manslaughter charges after crash that killed five
A bus driver with a history of speeding violations now faces additional manslaughter charges in connection with a devastating multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 95 in Virginia that killed five people and injured dozens, authorities said June 1.
Jing Sheng Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, was initially charged on May 30 with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, according to Virginia State Police. On June 1, the Stafford County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office announced that a grand jury indicted Dong on three additional charges of involuntary manslaughter and one count of reckless driving, reported the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, part of the USA TODAY Network.
The charges come after a preliminary investigation revealed that Dong, operating a coach bus for E&P Travel Inc., failed to slow for slowing traffic in a southbound work zone on I-95 in Stafford County around 2:35 a.m. ET on May 29. The bus struck a Chevrolet Suburban, which then crashed into an Acura SUV and other vehicles, triggering a chain-reaction collision involving at least eight vehicles, state police said.
The bus was carrying about 34 passengers at the time. Five people were killed, including a family of four from Greenfield, Massachusetts, and a 25-year-old woman from Worcester, Massachusetts. About 44 people were transported to area hospitals, three with critical injuries.
Dong, a U.S. citizen originally from China, does not speak English and received his commercial driver's license from New York in 2024, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. His language proficiency is now part of an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which said the motorcoach appeared to be moving at a “high rate of speed” at the time of the crash. Board member Tom Chapman noted that “if there was any braking there wasn’t much, because of the speed and severity of the collision.”
Court records show Dong has a history of speeding violations. In November 2024, he was found guilty of driving 73 mph in a 55 mph zone in Colonial Heights, Virginia, and paid $219 in fines and court costs. In March, he was accused of driving a motorcoach at 72 mph in a 50 mph zone in Annapolis, Maryland, and ordered to pay a $160 fine. He also has a pending trespassing case in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, from July 2024, where he was ordered to pay $104 in court costs.
Stafford Commonwealth's Attorney Eric Olsen said evidence gathered so far established that the tour bus, traveling southbound at a high rate of speed, struck vehicles moving slowly through a work zone, causing the chain-reaction crash. Olsen noted that probable cause exists to believe Dong was driving in a criminally negligent manner.
Dong remains hospitalized under custody and will be held without bond pending his first court appearance. On June 1, a Virginia state trooper served a bench warrant at the hospital, and upon release, Dong will be transferred to the Rappahannock Regional Jail.
The NTSB is expected to release a preliminary report within 30 days. The crash has renewed scrutiny of commercial driver licensing standards, particularly regarding language barriers and oversight of drivers with prior violations. Victims included Dmitri and Ecaterina Doncev, their children Emily and Mark, who were traveling to a wedding in South Carolina, and Priscilla Mafalda, a Brazilian immigrant described by her employer as “sweet, kind and hardworking.”
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY; Brad Petrishen, Toni Caushi and staff, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NY bus driver in Virginia crash faces additional manslaughter charges