Virginia crash kills five, including Massachusetts family

Five people from Massachusetts, including a family of four, were killed in a multi-vehicle crash involving a charter bus on a Virginia interstate early Friday morning. The collision occurred when the bus, traveling from New York to North Carolina, struck slowed traffic in a work zone.

Virginia State Police identified the victims as Dmitri Doncev, 45; his wife, Ecaterina Doncev, 44; their children, Emily, 13, and Mark, 7, all of Greenfield; and Priscilla R. Mafalda, 25, of Worcester. The Doncev family was driving overnight to attend a wedding in South Carolina. According to a relative, their car was filled with homemade desserts for the celebration.

Authorities said the crash happened around 2:35 a.m. on Interstate 95 in Stafford County. Investigators reported that the bus, operated by EP Travel Inc. of Kings Mountain, North Carolina, failed to slow down and struck a Chevrolet Suburban driven by Mafalda. The impact pushed the Suburban into the Doncev family’s Acura, which then caught fire. In addition to the five fatalities, dozens of people were injured and taken to local hospitals. Medical officials said most have been discharged, though one patient remained in critical condition.