A shuttle bus traveling on Interstate 95 was involved in a collision with a private car on Sunday, and overturned.
The accident resulted in one death, so far, with 16 others injured, according to an Associated Press report quoting the Virginia State Police.
The bus was carrying a group of people returning from a birthday party and was heading south on I-95 in the direction of Richmond, Va. A witness claimed to have seen a white sedan swerve into the path of the bus.
Initially, the police believed that the bus swerved and avoided contact with the car. However, they later revised their opinion and said that the two vehicles had collided, which caused the bus driver to lose control; the bus then left the road and overturned.
The driver of the car drove rapidly away from the scene on I-95, but was caught and arrested later on Sunday; he was charged with one felony count of hit-and-run. State Police identified the driver as 31-year-old Raphael Manuel Barrientos of Dumfries, Va.
The bus passenger who died was 24-year-old David Alberto Sanchez of Woodbridge, Va.. Sanchez’s father, Federico Hernandez, told The Associated Press that his son, was attending a birthday party for a co-worker. He said he believed his son had left around 11 p.m. Saturday for a trip into Washington to celebrate.
The State Police said nine people were thrown out of the bus during the accident. One person was being treated for life-threatening injuries. The driver and a passenger were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The remaining 13 passengers suffered minor injuries.
The shuttle bus was operated by America Transportation. The company did not provide any information about the incident, and referred questions to the Virginia State Police.
Police erected orange safety cones at the site and used floodlights to illuminate the overturned bus. Clean-up crews were using a tall crane to lift the bus. The windshield was smashed and most of its right side was crumpled from the front bumper backward.
There is no claim that the bus was speeding, or that the bus driver could have avoided the collision, and weather was not a factor.
The names Interstate 95, or I-95, frequently feature in reports of accidents – which is hardly surprising considering that the road stretches from Florida to New England; a distance of some 1,920 miles (3.090 kilometers).
