The Virginia bus crash victims have now been identified, revealing a devastating loss for two Massachusetts communities. Five residents of the state, including a family of four from Greenfield and a young woman from Worcester, were killed in a fiery charter bus collision on a Virginia highway this week.

The tragedy has left families, schools, and neighbors grappling with profound grief.

The Lives Lost

Virginia State Police identified the five Massachusetts residents who died in the crash. They were:

• Dmitri Doncev, 45, of Greenfield.
• Ecaterina Doncev, 44, of Greenfield.
• Emily Doncev, 13, of Greenfield.
• Mark Doncev, 7, of Greenfield.
• Priscilla R. Mafalda, 25, of Worcester.

The Doncevs, a family of four, perished together, while Mafalda was traveling separately when the collision occurred.

How the Crash Unfolded

The deadly accident took place on Thursday along Interstate 81 near Lexington, Virginia. A charter bus traveling from New York City to Charlotte, North Carolina, struck several vehicles as traffic slowed for roadwork.

Beyond the five fatalities, the crash left 34 others injured, all of whom were taken to local hospitals. The scale of the wreck made it one of the more harrowing highway tragedies the region has seen recently.

Investigators determined that the bus failed to slow down and crashed into a Chevrolet Suburban driven by Mafalda. The force of the impact pushed her SUV into the Doncev family’s Acura, which then caught fire, accounting for the blaze that made the scene so catastrophic.

A Family on a Joyful Journey

The circumstances surrounding the Doncev family’s trip make the loss all the more poignant. Dmitri, who worked as a nurse at Holyoke Medical Center, was driving his family through the night to attend a wedding in South Carolina when the crash occurred.

What was meant to be a celebratory journey ended in unimaginable tragedy, cutting short the lives of two parents and their young children.

A Community in Mourning

The Doncev family was deeply woven into their local community, and their absence is being felt across multiple circles.

Dmitri’s 27-year-old niece, Carolina Bublik, shared the family’s grief in an interview, describing how the Doncevs would gather with extended family at church every Sunday. She spoke of the painful void left behind, noting how difficult the coming Sundays would be without the family seated beside them at the lunch table.

The children, Emily and Mark, were students at Providence Christian Academy, where the family was a cherished part of the school community. In a statement, the school said the loss was being felt deeply by its students, families, faculty, and staff, reflecting the wide reach of the tragedy.

To help ease the financial burden, a family friend launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the Doncevs’ funeral expenses.

Fewer details were immediately available about Priscilla Mafalda, the Worcester woman whose vehicle was struck first in the chain of impacts.

Charges Against the Driver

In the aftermath of the crash, authorities moved quickly to hold the bus driver accountable. Police charged 48-year-old Jing S. Dong with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, and officials indicated that additional charges are pending as the investigation continues.

Dong, a resident of Staten Island, New York, reportedly obtained his commercial driver’s license in 2024, according to information shared by the Secretary of Transportation. That detail has drawn attention as questions emerge about the circumstances leading up to the collision.

Awaiting Answers

As the investigation proceeds, the focus remains on understanding exactly why the bus failed to slow down in time. For the families of the victims, however, no explanation can undo the loss they now face.

The Virginia bus crash victims represented tight-knit families and communities back home in Massachusetts. Their deaths have rippled across churches, schools, and workplaces, leaving behind a grief that words can scarcely capture.

In the days ahead, those who knew the Doncev family and Priscilla Mafalda will continue to mourn, leaning on one another and on the broader community for support. As legal proceedings move forward, they can only hope for accountability and, in time, some measure of peace.