Crime & Safety

Bus Overturns, 4 Seriously Injured, Driver Charged

54 passengers on the bus heading from New York to Georgia, according to Virginia State Police.

Four people were seriously injured and the southbound lanes of Interstate 95 were closed early Monday when a commercial bus overturned on its side with 54 people aboard.

The injuries were described as serious but not life-threatening.

The crash occurred in the southbound lanes of Interstate 95 near the 137 mile marker in Stafford County, according to Virginia State Police. The bus reportedly ran off the left side of the road and overturned onto its side.

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All 54 passengers were transported to area hospitals — including those not injured, in order to keep the group together and to provide shelter during the rest of the winter storm, according to State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller. 

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The driver of the bus, Qilong Xiao, 50, of Flushing, N.Y., has been charged with reckless driving. The crash remains under investigation, but speed is believed to have been a factor, according to Geller.

The bus, a 2005 Van Hool, was heading from New York to Doraville, Ga. It was operated by Princess Tours or Indianapolis.

The Virginia State Police Motor Carrier Safety Team responded to the scene and notified the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.


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