Five people were killed and 44 others were injured when a non-English-speaking bus driver from Staten Island crashed into stopped traffic on I-95 in Virginia early Friday morning, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

Jing S. Dong, a Chinese native who later became a U.S. citizen, was driving the motorcoach from New York City to Charlotte, North Carolina, when it struck a Chevrolet Suburban in Stafford County, near Quantico, just after 2:30 a.m.

The crash triggered a chain-reaction collision involving at least six vehicles. At the time, southbound traffic had slowed for a highway work zone.

“The preliminary investigation indicates that traffic was slowing southbound for an upcoming work zone,” state police said. “A bus failed to slow for traffic and struck six vehicles.”

A 25-year-old woman from Worcester, Massachusetts, who was inside the Suburban, was killed.

A family of four from Greenfield, Massachusetts — Dmitri Doncev, 45, his wife Ecaterina, 44, and their children Emily, 13, and Mark, 7 — all died after their Acura was struck by the Suburban and caught fire.

“With broken hearts, we share the devastating loss of our beloved brother and his family in the tragic accident on South I-95 in Virginia early this morning,” Dmitri’s brother, Iuri Doncev, wrote on Facebook.

The family, who had immigrated to the United States in 2008, was traveling to South Carolina for a family wedding at the time of the crash, according to family friend Anatoliy Bublik, who set up a GoFundMe page.

Providence Christian Academy, the private school attended by the children, issued a statement confirming the deaths.

“Providence Christian Academy is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of the Doncev family following a motor vehicle accident on Interstate 95. The Doncev family was a cherished part of our school community, and their loss is being felt deeply by our students, families, faculty, and staff,” the school said.

Dmitri Doncev worked as a registered nurse in the mental health unit at Holyoke Medical Center.

Dong, 48, obtained his Commercial Driver’s License in New York State in 2024 despite not speaking English, according to Secretary Duffy.

“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, blaming policies implemented by New York officials.

“If you can’t be properly trained, read our road signs, or communicate with law enforcement, you have no business driving a bus,” he added.

Duffy stated that the administration is reviewing New York licensing records, training documentation, and the driver’s history as part of the investigation.

“Any company, trainer, or school that contributed to putting an unqualified driver on the road will face intense scrutiny,” he said.

Forty-four people were hospitalized following the crash, including the bus driver Dong. Three victims were in critical condition. Police did not confirm whether all passengers on the bus were hospitalized.

Criminal charges against Dong are pending as authorities continue to investigate the cause of the crash.