Bus driver in wheelchair faces judge after deadly Virginia I-95 crash: 'This is an unusual case'

[Beringia]

Source: WTVR Richmond, Virgnia 6 news

STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. — The bus driver charged in the deadly I-95 crash in Stafford County that killed five people appeared before a judge Wednesday for the first time since the May 29 crash — arriving at the courthouse in a wheelchair and facing a long list of serious charges.

Jing Sheng Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, faces five counts of involuntary manslaughter and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving in connection with the crash. The charges were split between two courtrooms — two counts heard in district court and four in circuit court. Stafford Commonwealth's Attorney Eric Olsen said the charges were divided to help ensure a speedy trial.

Prosecutors handed over evidence to Furlong during Wednesday's hearing, including footage of the crash and approximately 2,000 photos. Furlong said his team will need to review everything before determining their next steps.

Dong is accused of failing to slow his bus as it approached a work zone on I-95 southbound in Stafford County in the early morning hours of May 29. The motorcoach, operated by E&P Travel Inc. of Kings Mountain, North Carolina, slammed into more than half a dozen vehicles, triggering a chain reaction crash. Among those vehicles was a car carrying a family of four — two adults and their two children — all of whom were killed. A fifth person, a woman in another vehicle, was also killed.

Relatives identified the family as Dmitri and Ecterina Doncev of Greenfield, Massachusetts, and their two children. They were on their way to a wedding in South Carolina. The fifth victim was identified by Virginia State Police as Priscilla R. Mafalda, 25, of Worcester, Massachusetts. Approximately 44 people were transported to area hospitals.

One issue that has drawn significant attention is Dong's English proficiency. Federal regulations require commercial drivers to be able to understand English well enough to converse with the public and read highway traffic signs and signals. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote on X shortly after the crash that Dong does not speak English, yet obtained a commercial driver's license in New York in 2024.

Read more: https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/bus-driver-jing-sheng-dong-court-appearance-interstate-95-crash-stafford-virginia-june-10-2026

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I was wondering what would happen in this case where the bus driver cannot speak English

[oldsoldierfadingfast]

1. Who among you ...

can explain to me why the NY DMV who gave a commercial license to drive to a man who cannot speak English (read or write questionable) is not also charged?
Are they not the one's ultimately responsible for failing to do their duty to deny him a license in 1st place?
Enlighten me, please.

[delisen]

2. The defendant may have sufficient English for the license requirements in NY

This may differ from having sufficient English to defend oneself in a court of law without an interpreter.

The fact that this driver had recent speeding tickets in two states raises to me the question of whether he was an ongoing danger for reasons other than language.

[SouthBayDem]

3. consider the source of that "cannot speak English" talking point

Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy (who at the same time also said the driver was a naturalized citizen) based on hearsay from the local police. His boss has a longtime agenda item of demonizing any immigrant legal or not.

Consider that basic English proficiency is a requirement to pass the citizenship test - so the math ain’t adding up unless there are special circumstances I haven’t heard of.

It’s possible he spoke with a heavy accent to the police officers on the scene, then the officers wrote “cannot speak English” in their report (a possibility in that part of Virginia that isn’t exactly Arlington, Richmond, or Norfolk). (I am Chinese-American and have been around enough Chinese immigrants who are quite intelligent yet retain their old country’s linguistics.)

[delisen]

4. Thanks for this information.

[OldBaldy1701E]

11. Not to mention that a number of times Americans just won't take the time to listen.

I have been around people with thick accents before, and I usually don't have much issue with them because I take the time to stop and listen because they have a heavy accent.

Other people? Not so much. They are spitting out 'Huh?' and 'Whatthehelldidyousay?' even before the person is finished speaking.

Taking the time to actually listen to another is something that most Americans just don't have the time for anymore, I guess.

[Beringia]

5. My thought was some liability for the deaths should fall on the bus driving company that hired him

[SouthBayDem]

6. Same with me.

I have to wonder what kind of people run that company, willingly allowing a driver to keep working after getting ticketed. Hell, I doubt that freakin' Lyft or Uber allow drivers who get a speeding ticket.

[oldsoldierfadingfast]

7. This also ... n/t

[Behind the Aegis]

8. That would be a civil suit.

At least that is what I understand the law to be. I know there are some differences place to place.

[OhioBack2Blue]

9. At least he went through DMV processes.... REPUBLICON GOVERNOR GEORGE RYAN (R-IL)

...who served as the Governor of Illinois from 1999 to 2003, was the central figure in a massive federal "CDL licenses-for-bribes" scandal.

The License-for-Bribes Scheme
The roots of the nationwide scandal began in the 1990s when George Ryan served as the Illinois Secretary of State. Employees inside the Secretary of State's office systematically accepted bribes ranging from $600 to $1,200 from unqualified commercial truck drivers to bypass official testing and illegally grant them CDLs. A significant portion of this bribe money was funneled into Ryan’s gubernatorial campaign fund

[Beringia]

10. Holy Moly, that could be how it happened