Bus driver in crash that killed 5, including 2 kids, was Chinese national who did not speak English, Sec. Duffy says

Dozens were injured and five people were killed when a North Carolina-based E&P Travel bus drove into stopped traffic in Virginia on Friday at about 2:35 a.m., according to police.

An investigation found that the driver of the bus was a Chinese national who could not speak English, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

‘This is one of the most tragic things I’ve ever seen. Absolutely tragic.’

The driver identified as 48-year-old Jing S. Dong.

The bus plowed into a Chevy SUV that had slowed for a construction zone and propelled that vehicle into an Acura SUV and other vehicles.

Dong’s bus was carrying 34 travelers from New York City to Charlotte, North Carolina.

Forty-four people in the incident were transported to hospitals in Fredericksburg and Stafford, according to officials. Three of those had critical injuries.

“I’ve got to say, this is one of the most tragic things I’ve ever seen. Absolutely tragic,” said Federal Transit Administration spokesperson Peyton Vogel at the scene.

Duffy posted the findings from the investigation to social media.

“Local police confirm the driver of this motorcoach — a man from China who became a U.S. citizen — doesn’t speak English. He received his commercial drivers license from New York State in 2024,” Duffy wrote.

“Unacceptable. This is exactly why we are holding states accountable, enforcing the rules of the road, and cracking down on drivers who can’t speak English,” he added. “If you can’t be properly trained, read our road signs, or communicate with law enforcement, you have no business driving a bus.”

He also vowed that any company, trainer, or school involved in putting Dong on the road would receive “intense scrutiny” over the incident.

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Dong was also injured in the crash.

“My prayers are with the loved ones of the innocent lives lost and those who were hurt in this horrific crime,” Duffy concluded.

The investigation into the crash closed traffic on the I-95 south lane for about four hours.

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