SRMC says seven of the nine victims brought to them after Tuesday’s crash have been released; the ninth victim died en route to hospital
PETERSBURG — One of the nine victims brought to Southside Regional Medical Center following last Tuesday’s commercial bus crash in Prince George County remains hospitalized.
An SRMC spokesman said late Friday that two more patients were released from the hospital on that day. Neither their identities nor the identity of the remaining patient hospitalized was revealed.
The bus, owned by Massachusetts-based Tao’s Travel Inc., was en route from Orlando to New York City when it crashed shortly after 5:20 a.m. on the Exit 45 ramp off Interstate 95. Authorities said the bus ran off the left side of the ramp and overturned into a grassy area. Two people died — Su Feng Xu, 37, a Chinese national whose address is unknown, at the scene; and Jametta Cumberbatch, 81, of Jamaica, N.Y., who passed away en route to SRMC.
All totaled, there were 57 people on the bus — 56 adult and child passengers, and the driver. The injured passengers were taken to five hospitals and two emergency trauma centers in the Tri-City area and Richmond.
Virginia State Police have charged the driver of the bus, Yu Man Chow, 40, of Staten Island, N.Y., with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. Authorities said he took over driving duties when the bus stopped in Rocky Mount, N.C.
Chow is being held at the Riverside Regional Jail in Prince George County.
Speed was a contributing factor in the crash, state police said. Also, at the time of the accident, there was heavy fog in the area, and the official sunrise was not due for another two hours.
The owner of the bus company has not yet released a statement about the crash, other to mention that the driver, Chow, had been with the company for five years.
By Bill Atkinson
Bill Atkinson may be reached at 804-722-5167 or batkinson@progress-index.com. On Twitter: @BAtkinsonpi.