Bus hits cars in Virginia, killing 5 people and injuring 34, state police say

"The preliminary investigation indicates that traffic was slowing southbound for an upcoming work zone," state police said in a news release. "A bus failed to slow for traffic and struck six vehicles."

Police said there were "approximately" 34 passengers on board the bus.

"We've got patients in multiple hospitals. We've got the driver at a hospital here," said Peyton Vogel, a Federal Transit Administration spokesperson who was on the scene. "I've got to say, this is one of the most tragic things I've ever seen. Absolutely tragic."

Four of the fatalities were in one car, which caught fire. State police said the victims were a 45-year-old male, a 44-year-old female, a 13-year-old female, and a 7-year-old male, all from Greenfield, Massachusetts. The fifth victim, a 25-year-old female from Worcester, Massachusetts, was in an SUV that was struck by the bus.

State police identified the bus driver as Jing S. Dong, 48, of Staten Island, N.Y. Charges are pending, authorities said.

Mary Washington Healthcare said it received 19 patients from the crash. It posted online that seven of the patients were taken to its trauma center in Fredericksburg, where four were being discharged and three remained in treatment — one in serious condition and two in critical condition. Twelve were taken to its hospital in Stafford, where they were later discharged in good condition.

The National Transportation Safety Board posted online Friday that it was sending a "go-team" to conduct a safety investigation into the crash and that it would have a spokesperson at the scene.

The southbound lanes had reopened by noon Friday, but traffic was still backed up for a couple of miles, according to a state transportation advisory.

Bus company had satisfactory record

The bus was operated by E&P Travel, Inc., based in Kings Mountain, N.C. A compliance snapshot from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration showed only one injury accident involving the company's vehicles in the previous two years, and listed its compliance rating as "satisfactory."

The company was incorporated Nov. 24, 2023, by Shuo Liu, according to records from the North Carolina Secretary of State's office. Liu is also listed as the registered agent. The FMCSA site said the company operated four vehicles and had 11 drivers.

While it is too soon to say what caused Friday's crash, federal authorities have been grappling with interstate passenger bus safety issues for decades.

Following a series of passenger bus crashes in 2008 that killed 41 people, the U.S. Department of Transportation published a Motorcoach Safety Action Plan.

The NTSB investigated 16 fatal motorcoach crashes between June 1998 and January 2008, finding that driver-related problems such as fatigue, medical condition, and inattention accounted for 56 percent of the accidents. The agency said driver-related problems were responsible for 60 percent of the fatalities in those crashes.

Among the actions recommended were creation of a pre-employment driver history screening program, and a national drug- and alcohol-testing database "to enable motorcoach operators to determine if drivers have a history of violating DOT alcohol or drug rules."