STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. — A bus crash on Interstate 95 south early Friday morning claimed five lives and injured dozens more.
Four victims, including a 45-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman, a 13-year-old girl, and a 7-year-old boy from Greenfield, Mass., were inside an Acura SUV that caught fire after being struck. The fifth victim, a 25-year-old woman from Worcester, Mass., was in a Chevrolet Suburban hit by the bus.
A total of 44 individuals were hospitalized, with three suffering from critical injuries. Emergency responders transported the injured to hospitals in Fredericksburg and Stafford.
Peyton Vogel, a spokesperson for the Federal Transit Administration, described the scene as “one of the most tragic things” he had witnessed. Mary Washington Healthcare reported receiving 19 patients from the incident, with several in serious conditions.
The driver, 48-year-old Jing S. Dong from Staten Island, also sustained injuries and faces pending charges. The bus was traveling from New York City to Charlotte, North Carolina, with 34 passengers on board.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced it would send a team to investigate the incident. All lanes of I-95 south were closed for over seven hours, but reopened by noon, with residual traffic delays reported.