{"id":678155,"date":"2026-06-01T16:29:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:29:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/678155\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T16:29:32","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:29:32","slug":"mass-family-worcester-woman-identified-as-victims-in-deadly-virginia-bus-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/678155\/","title":{"rendered":"Mass. family, Worcester woman identified as victims in deadly Virginia bus crash"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLocal News\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThe victims included a Greenfield couple and their two children, as well as a 25-year-old Worcester woman.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\tGreenfield, Massachusetts, victims of the May 29, Virginia fatal accident involving a bus are Ecaterina (left) and Dmitri Doncev (right) Doncev, with their son Mark and daughter Emily. Courtesy\/GoFundMe\t<\/p>\n

Four members of a Greenfield family and a Worcester woman have been identified as the five Massachusetts residents killed in a fiery charter bus crash<\/a> on a Virginia highway this week.<\/p>\n

Virginia State Police identified the victims as Dmitri Doncev, 45; Ecaterina Doncev, 44; Emily Doncev, 13; and Mark Doncev, 7, all of Greenfield, along with 25-year-old Priscilla R. Mafalda of Worcester.<\/p>\n

The crash happened on Thursday on Interstate 81 near Lexington, Virginia, when a charter bus traveling from New York City to Charlotte, North Carolina, struck several vehicles as traffic slowed for roadwork. In addition to the five people killed, 34 others were injured and taken to local hospitals, according to authorities.<\/p>\n

Investigators said the bus failed to slow down and slammed into a Chevrolet Suburban driven by Mafalda. The impact pushed the SUV into the Doncev family\u2019s Acura, which caught fire.<\/p>\n

Dmitri, a nurse at Holyoke Medical Center, was driving his family through the night to attend a wedding in South Carolina when the crash occurred, according to the Boston Globe<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dmitri\u2019s 27-year-old niece, Carolina Bublik, shared the family\u2019s grief with the Globe, saying the Doncevs would join extended family at church every Sunday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNow it\u2019s going to be very difficult, the next Sunday that comes around, where we will not be able to have them sit next to us at the lunch table,\u201d said Bublik.<\/p>\n

The Doncevs were members of the Providence Christian Academy community, where Emily and Mark attended school.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Doncev family was a cherished part of our school community, and their loss is being felt deeply by our students, families, faculty, and staff,\u201d the school said in a statement.<\/p>\n

A family friend started a GoFundMe<\/a> to raise money for the family\u2019s funeral expenses.<\/p>\n

Priscilla R. Mafalda remembered by friends and coworkers\"\"Priscilla Mafalda. \u2013 GoFundMe<\/p>\n

Friends are remembering 25-year-old Mafalda, who was born in Brazil and later moved to Worcester.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Monique Almeida employed Mafalda at her cleaning company. In a message to WHDH<\/a>, she wrote, \u201cIn the year she worked with us, she became much more than a coworker!!! I will always remember her beautiful smile, her kindness, and the way she made people feel comfortable and cared for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another coworker wrote, \u201cShe leaves behind wonderful memories, an example of kindness, dedication, and love, and a lasting impact on all of us who were blessed to know her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mafalda was on her way to Florida last week to take a long-awaited vacation. Her friend Thaiz Ramos told the Boston Globe<\/a> on Sunday that Mafalda was supposed to call him when she arrived.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI am still waiting for that call,\u201d Ramos told the Globe, \u201cbecause part of me still cannot believe she is gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

A GoFundMe<\/a> for Mafalda was created after her death to raise money to return her body to Brazil for burial.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As of Monday morning, the fundraiser has raised over $21,000, and the organizers updated the description to say that transportation funds are covered and that the remainder will go toward medical care, hospital expenses, and rehabilitation for the survivors who remain hospitalized.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Globe had reported that the original version of the page noted that Mafalda\u2019s husband, Igor Ernesto, was also in the vehicle and hospitalized.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Translated from Portuguese, the GoFundMe read, \u201cWe all know that, at a time like this, any help is welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Police have charged the bus driver, Jing S. Dong, 48, with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, and authorities said additional charges are pending.<\/p>\n

A Staten Island, New York, resident, Dong obtained his commercial driver\u2019s license in 2024, according<\/a> to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the Today newsletter<\/p>\n

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