The charter bus that rammed into cars on Interstate 95 in Virginia, leading to a multivehicle crash in late May that killed five people and injured dozens, traveled almost half a mile after initially striking vehicles that were backed up in traffic before coming to rest, according to a new report.
In its preliminary report on the May 29 crash, the National Transportation Safety Board said the bus, operated by E&P Travel Inc. and driven by 48-year-old Jing Dong, struck two cars at the end of a traffic jam on I-95 in Stafford County just after 2:30 a.m. The bus then, according to the report, continued into traffic for about .44 miles, leading to the involvement of eight additional vehicles in the crash.
Five people who were occupying the first two vehicles struck by the bus were killed, one in a Chevy Suburban and all four occupants in an Acura MDX. More than 40 people were left with injuries ranging from minor to serious, the NTSB said.
Dong, the driver of the bus, has been charged with聽five counts of involuntary manslaughter and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving.
He was scheduled for arraignment in Stafford County Circuit Court for June 22, when he will enter a plea. Another preliminary hearing was set for Aug. 28 in General District Court.
Dong was also injured in the crash, and his attorney said Dong was distraught when he woke up in the hospital and learned of the five deaths in the crash.
鈥淲hen he woke up in the hospital and was informed that people lost their lives in this accident, he was devastated by that. He鈥檚 expressed how sorry he is about this incident many times to us,鈥� Thad Furlong said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a genuine remorse. He wished it had never happened.鈥�
The cause of the traffic backup the morning of the crash was a 1.6-mile-long short-term work zone for overnight pavement resurfacing. The work zone configuration included closure of the southbound center lane, right lane and right shoulder, according to the NTSB’s preliminary report, released Thursday.
Along with the NTSB, Virginia State Police, Virginia’s Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are investigating the crash. The NTSB will release a full report, which will include safety recommendations, at the end of its investigation.
草莓传媒’s Luke Lukert contributed to this report.
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