Two people are dead after a commercial bus carrying 57 people crashed in Prince George County on Tuesday morning.
Virginia State Police said the crash happened at 5:22 a.m. and multiple people being treated for injuries at area hospitals. Prince George County police said at least three people were critically injured. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
The crash occurred when a Tao's Travel Inc. bus overturned at a ramp for Exit 45. The bus was headed north on I-95 when it attempted to take the exit ramp, the state police said.
The vehicle ran off the left side of the ramp and overturned. The bus's route began in Florida with a final destination of New York.
The state police said they have been told 57 people were aboard the bus — 56 passengers and the driver. Of the two confirmed fatalities, one died at the scene and the second died a few hours later at Southside Regional Medical Center.
The bus driver suffered minor bruises and abrasions and is still at the crash scene, the state police said.
Family members can call the Prince George County Emergency Services Center at (804) 733-2659 for information related to those on the bus. A Family Reunification Center is being established at the Prince George County Central Wellness Center at 11023 Prince George Drive in Disputanta.
The Virginia State Police Motor Carrier Safety Team is on scene assisting with the crash investigation.
Federal records show Tao’s Travel – based in Middleton, Mass. – has a satisfactory safety rating, with no crashes in the last two years. The company owns four passenger coaches and employs eight drivers, according to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records.
A man who answered the phone number listed for Tao’s Travel said Tuesday that the company is investigating but had no comment on the crash.
As of 9:30 a.m., several fire trucks and at least five ambulances were on the scene in and around the ramp where the bus crashed. At least 20 fire, EMS and police personnel are gathered near the scene.
After the crash, Prince George police urged motorists to be cautious during their morning commute as officers were responding to multiple crashes due to thick fog.
Freezing fog reduced visibility throughout southeastern Virginia on Tuesday morning.
The weather station at Dinwiddie County Airport, nine miles west-northwest of the accident site, reported 0.25 mile visibility at the time of the accident with a temperature of 28 degrees.
The National Weather Service in Wakefield issued a special weather statement about the freezing fog at 1:56 a.m., advising motorists to be alert for sudden changes in visibility.
Freezing fog can create a thin coating of ice on exposed surfaces, though road surface temperatures remained above freezing across central and eastern Virginia according to the NWS.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
(This is breaking news. This story will be updated.)