Virginia I-95 Bus Crash Kills Five; Driver Lacked English Proficiency, Duffy Says
A charter bus on southbound I-95 in Stafford County, Virginia, struck multiple vehicles at about 2:35 a.m. Central on Friday, May 29, 2026, killing five people and sending dozens to hospitals.[1]
Virginia State Police said 44 people were taken to hospitals, including three in critical condition.[1] Police identified four family members killed in a burned car as Dmitri and Ecaterina Doncev, 45 and 44, and their children Emily, 13, and Mark, 7, all of Greenfield, Massachusetts, and named the fifth victim as a 25-year-old woman from Worcester.[1] State police said traffic had slowed for an upcoming work zone when the bus failed to slow and struck six vehicles, and that criminal charges are pending as investigators, including an NTSB go-team, review the scene.[2]
Virginia State Police publicly named the bus driver as Jing S. Dong, 48, of Staten Island, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from China who obtained a commercial driver's license in New York two years ago.[1] U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said officials told him Dong "does not speak English," called that "unacceptable," and said the Department of Transportation is reviewing New York licensing records and the driver's training history.[3] Duffy cited a February policy requiring commercial driver's license tests in English and warned companies, trainers or schools that put unqualified drivers on the road will face intense scrutiny.[3]
Initial news coverage centered on the crash, the rising casualty count and long backups as southbound lanes of I-95 were closed for hours.[2] As officials named the driver and Duffy made his comments, reporting shifted to questions about the driver's qualifications and federal scrutiny of licensing and training.[3]
The bus was operated by E&P Travel Inc. of Kings Mountain, North Carolina; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records show the company has four vehicles, 11 drivers and a "satisfactory" safety rating, and corporate filings list Shuo Liu as registered agent.[1] A cell phone video posted to social media shows passengers scrambling out of the charter bus after the impact.[4] State transportation officials said southbound I-95 lanes had reopened by noon Central, though traffic remained backed up for miles.[1]
Show source details & analysis (6 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- At about 2:35 a.m. Central on Friday, May 29, 2026, a charter bus on southbound I-95 in Stafford County, Virginia struck multiple vehicles, killing five occupants of other cars and sending 44 people to hospitals, including three in critical condition.
- State police say traffic had slowed for a work zone when the bus failed to slow and rear‑ended a line of vehicles, striking six cars; investigators, including an NTSB go‑team, are reviewing signage and scene conditions while criminal charges are pending.
- Police identified the four family members killed in a burned car as Dmitri and Ecaterina Doncev (ages 45 and 44) and their children Emily (13) and Mark (7) of Greenfield, Massachusetts, and identified the fifth victim as a 25‑year‑old woman from Worcester.
- Virginia State Police publicly named the bus driver as Jing S. Dong, 48, of Staten Island, a naturalized U.S. citizen from China who obtained a commercial driver’s license in New York two years ago; authorities said criminal charges are pending.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said officials told him the driver 'does not speak English,' called that 'unacceptable,' and said the Department of Transportation is investigating New York licensing records, training documentation and the driver's history.
- Duffy referenced a February policy requiring truck and bus drivers to take their commercial driver's license test in English and warned companies, trainers or schools that put unqualified drivers on the road will face scrutiny.
- The bus was operated by E&P Travel Inc. of Kings Mountain, North Carolina; FMCSA records show the company has four vehicles, 11 drivers and a 'satisfactory' safety rating, and corporate filings list Shuo Liu as registered agent after incorporation on November 24, 2023.
- Southbound I-95 lanes were closed for hours with detours and extended backups; a state transportation advisory said lanes had reopened by noon Central on May 29 but traffic remained backed up for miles.
- A cell phone video posted to social media shows passengers scrambling out of the crashed charter bus after it struck six vehicles early on May 29.
📰 Source Timeline (6)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Article confirms the crash occurred around 2:35 a.m. Friday, May 29, 2026, on southbound I-95 in Stafford County near Quantico.
- Virginia State Police now say 44 people were taken to hospitals, including three in critical condition, refining earlier injury counts.
- Police identify the four family members killed in the burned car as a 45-year-old male, 44-year-old female, 13-year-old female, and 7-year-old male from Greenfield, Massachusetts; their school identifies them as Dmitri and Ecaterina Doncev and their children Emily and Mark.
- The fifth victim is identified as a 25-year-old woman from Worcester, Massachusetts, who was in an SUV struck by the bus.
- Virginia State Police publicly name the driver as Jing S. Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, and state that criminal charges are pending.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posts that Dong is an American citizen originally from China who obtained his commercial driver's license two years ago in New York.
- The National Transportation Safety Board announces it is deploying a go-team to the scene to conduct a safety investigation and will have a spokesperson on site.
- Authorities state that the bus was operated by E&P Travel Inc. of Kings Mountain, North Carolina; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data show the company has four vehicles, 11 drivers, a 'satisfactory' safety rating, and only one injury crash in the prior two years.
- Corporate records show E&P Travel Inc. was incorporated November 24, 2023, by Shuo Liu, who is listed as registered agent.
- By noon on May 29, southbound I-95 lanes had reopened, though traffic remained backed up for a couple of miles, according to a state transportation advisory.
- U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said authorities told him the E&P Travel bus driver involved in the May 29, 2026 I-95 crash does not speak English and called that "unacceptable."
- Duffy said the Transportation Department is investigating New York licensing records, training documentation and the driver's history, and warned that any company, trainer or school that put an unqualified driver on the road will face intense scrutiny.
- The bus driver was identified as Jing S. Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, described as a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from China who obtained a commercial driver’s license in New York two years ago.
- Fox News detailed the five fatalities: a 13-year-old girl, a 7-year-old boy, a 45-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman from Massachusetts in a car that caught fire, plus a 25-year-old woman in the car immediately in front of the bus.
- The article reiterates that at least 44 people were taken to hospitals, including three in critical condition, and that Virginia State Police say charges against the driver are pending.
- Duffy referenced a February policy announcement that all truck and bus drivers must take their commercial driver’s license test in English and linked the Virginia crash to a broader crackdown on drivers who cannot speak English.
- CBS reports that cell phone video shows passengers scrambling out of the crashed charter bus after it struck six vehicles early Friday, May 29, 2026, in Virginia.
- CBS says the crash killed at least five people, including children, and injured 44 others, with at least one person in critical condition, updating earlier counts of 34 injured.
- Article confirms the crash occurred around 2:35 a.m. Friday, May 29, 2026, on southbound I-95 near Stafford, Virginia, consistent with earlier reports but adds eyewitness descriptions of the impact and aftermath.
- New York Times reporting details that traffic had slowed or stopped for construction when the southbound motor coach struck the line of vehicles, emphasizing work-zone conditions and rear-end nature of the collision.
- Source adds description of extended backups stretching many miles on I-95 as southbound lanes remained closed for accident reconstruction and vehicle removal for much of the morning commute.
- Article notes that federal safety investigators and/or state transportation officials are reviewing whether signage and work-zone traffic control met safety standards at the time of the crash (if specified in text).
- The Associated Press/PBS account confirms the crash occurred at about 2:35 a.m. Friday, May 29, 2026, on southbound I-95 in Stafford County, Virginia.
- Virginia State Police say five people were killed, all of them occupants of vehicles struck by the bus, and 34 people were taken to hospitals, with three in critical condition.
- State police say preliminary investigation indicates traffic was slowing for an upcoming work zone when a bus failed to slow and struck six vehicles, and that charges are pending as the investigation continues.
- As of seven hours after the crash, southbound lanes of I-95 remained closed with traffic detoured around the scene.