The driver of a bus involved in a deadly Virginia crash that killed five people doesn’t speak English, authorities said, according to US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy who called it “unacceptable.”
Five people were killed and dozens were injured when the driver of an E&P Travel bus heading from New York to North Carolina failed to slow down near a work zone and slammed into several cars on Interstate 95 in Stafford County, the Virginia State Police said.
The crash happened around 2:35 a.m. Friday.
A 13-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy, who were in the car ahead of the one the bus hit, died along with a 45-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman after their car caught fire.
They were all from Massachusetts.
A 25-year-old woman, who was in the car immediately in front of the bus, was also killed.
At least 44 others were taken to hospitals, including three in critical condition, police said.
The driver of the bus, identified as Jing S. Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, was injured in the crash.
Police say charges are pending.
Dong is a naturalized citizen originally from China who received his commercial driver’s license in New York two years ago.
“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,” Duffy wrote on X.
“If you can’t be properly trained, read our road signs, or communicate with law enforcement, you have no business driving a bus.”
Duffy added that the Transportation Department is investigating “New York licensing records, training documentation, and the driver’s history.
“Any company, trainer, or school that contributed to putting an unqualified driver on the road will face intense scrutiny.”
Federal law requires commercial drivers to speak English well enough to do their job safely.
In February, Duffy announced that all truckers and bus drivers would be required to take the test to get their license in English.
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