Five people dead and 44 injured after bus hits cars on Virginia interstate, state police say

By Devon M. Sayers, Rebekah Riess, CNN

(CNN) — Five people are dead and dozens are injured after a bus failed to slow down for traffic and struck six cars on Interstate 95 near Quantico, Virginia, early Friday morning, according to Virginia State Police.

Traffic was slowing in the southbound lanes of I-95, due to a work zone ahead, when the bus struck the other vehicles around 2:35 a.m. Friday, police said.

The five people who were killed were not on the bus, according to Matt Demlein with Virginia State Police. Four of the five 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, Demlein said.

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.

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.

The driver was one of those injured and has been identified as 48-year-old Jing S. Dong of Staten Island, New York, according to state police. Authorities are looking into Dong’s “actions prior to the crash” and charges against him are pending, Demlein added.

CNN has reached out to E&P Travel for comment.

A total of 19 patients were taken to Mary Washington Healthcare hospitals after the crash, the health care system told CNN in a statement. Of those, seven patients were taken to the trauma center at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, Virginia. One of the patients remains in critical condition while two are in serious condition, according to the health care system. Three patients are in fair condition, and one has been treated and discharged.

Another twelve patients were taken to Stafford Hospital in Stafford, Virgina, and have been discharged, the health care system said.

“All patients will continue to be cared for at both hospitals with meals and personal needs until they can be reunited with their belongings or other transportation can be arranged,” the statement added.

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.

The crash is under investigation and charges are pending, according to VSP. The NTSB is sending a go-team to conduct a safety investigation into the collision, Sarah Sulick with the NTSB said.

Demlein did not have additional information about who owned the bus involved in the crash or where it was headed.

“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.

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