A Massachusetts family tragically lost their lives in a Virginia road accident while en route to a wedding, bringing along a car full of homemade desserts for the occasion. Dmitri and Ecaterina Doncev, along with their children Emily and Mark, were traveling to South Carolina for a family celebration that will now also serve as a time for remembrance and mourning.
Despite the devastating loss, the wedding is set to proceed on Sunday, doubling as a moment to honor the cherished memories of the Doncev family. “A son, a father—the whole family—everyone that has been dear to us,” expressed Carolina Bublik, a relative, in reflection of the tragic event.
The family fell victim to a fatal chain-reaction crash initiated by a motorcoach early Friday morning. The bus collided with several vehicles that had slowed for a work zone on Interstate 95 in Stafford County at approximately 2:35 a.m., according to authorities.
The initial impact involved a Suburban, which subsequently collided with an Acura carrying the Doncev family. Tragically, Priscilla Mafalda, a 25-year-old from Worcester, Massachusetts, was also among those who perished in the Chevrolet SUV.
The bus struck a Suburban, which then hit an Acura carrying the Doncev family, police said. Priscilla Mafalda, 25, of Worcester, Massachusetts, was in the Chevrolet SUV and also died.
More people were treated for injuries, including one who was in critical condition, though most were discharged, Mary Washington Healthcare said.
The bus driver, Jing S. Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, and additional charges were likely, Virginia State Police said. It was not immediately known if he was in custody or had a lawyer yet.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, a monthslong task separate from the work of state police. NTSB board member Tom Chapman revealed few new details but said the bus was moving at a high rate of speed.
“It seems fairly clear that if there was any braking there wasn’t much, because of the speed and severity of the collision,” Chapman said.
The bus, which was taking people from New York to North Carolina, was operated by E&P Travel Inc., based in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.
Chapman said the driver’s language proficiency would be part of the NTSB investigation. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, citing police, said on social media that Dong, a native of China, does not speak English.
Dmitri Doncev, 45, was a nurse who worked at Holyoke Medical Center. Ecaterina Doncev, 44, was a hairstylist who spent days making desserts for the family wedding, Bublik said.
They emigrated to the U.S. from Moldova in 2008 and settled in Greenfield, Massachusetts, she said.
Dmitri and brother Iuri tried to stay together while traveling in separate vehicles to South Carolina.
“At some point they ended up getting separated,” Bublik said. “Dmitri said, ‘You go ahead. I’ll catch up later.’ It was a big shock when Iuri arrived at the house. Dmitri should have arrived around the same time. When his car did not show up, and he wasn’t picking up the phone – that’s when the family started panicking.”
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