Virginia Bus Crash Killing 5 Involved Non-English Driver with NY License
A multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 95 in Virginia killed five people, including a family of four, after a non-English speaking bus driver from New York struck stopped traffic Friday.
Jing S. Dong, a 48-year-old Chinese-born naturalized U.S. citizen, was allegedly operating a motorcoach traveling from New York City to Charlotte, North Carolina when the vehicle struck a Chevrolet Suburban in Stafford County near Quantico just after 2:30 a.m., according to New York Post.
The impact triggered a chain reaction involving at least six vehicles on the southbound highway, where traffic had slowed for an active work zone. State police confirmed that the bus failed to reduce speed for the backed-up traffic ahead.
Family of Four Among the Dead
Among the victims was an unidentified 25-year-old woman from Worcester, Massachusetts, who died inside the Suburban. The collision also sent that vehicle careening into an Acura carrying the Doncev family from Greenfield, Massachusetts, causing the car to erupt in flames.
Dmitri Doncev, 45, his wife Ecaterina, 44, and their two children, 13-year-old Emily and 7-year-old Mark, were all pronounced dead at the scene. The family, who immigrated to the United States in 2008, was traveling to South Carolina to attend a family wedding when tragedy struck.
Iuri Doncev, Dmitri’s brother, expressed the family’s grief in a Facebook post, writing of the devastating loss of his beloved brother and family in the early morning crash.
Dmitri Doncev worked as a registered nurse in the mental health unit at Holyoke Medical Center. His children attended Providence Christian Academy, a private institution that released a statement mourning the loss of the cherished family within their school community.
Driver Licensed Despite Language Barrier
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy revealed that Dong obtained his Commercial Driver’s License in New York State in 2024 despite being unable to speak English, sparking immediate federal oversight of state licensing procedures.
Duffy condemned the situation on social media platform X, stating that the Trump administration is holding states accountable and cracking down on drivers who cannot speak English. If you can’t be properly trained, read our road signs, or communicate with law enforcement, you have no business driving a bus, Duffy declared.
The Transportation Secretary announced his department is reviewing New York licensing records, training documentation, and the driver’s complete history as part of the federal investigation. He warned that any company, trainer, or driving school that contributed to placing an unqualified driver behind the wheel would face intense scrutiny.
Dozens Hospitalized
Forty-four individuals were transported to area hospitals following the collision, including Dong himself. Three victims remained in critical condition as of Friday. Authorities have not clarified whether all hospitalized individuals were passengers aboard the bus.
Criminal charges against Dong are pending as the investigation into the cause of the crash continues. State police are working with federal authorities to determine the full scope of accountability in the deadly incident.
With information from New York Post
