A Massachusetts resident was eagerly anticipating her upcoming Florida vacation when tragedy struck just a day later.
Priscilla R Mafalda, a 25-year-old from Worcester, was identified over the weekend as one of the five victims in a devastating chain-reaction accident. The crash occurred early Friday morning on Interstate 95 near Quantico, involving a bus that collided with at least six other vehicles.
Prior to the incident, Mafalda had shared her excitement with friend Thaiz Ramos, saying, “I’m very tired but thank God I’m finally taking some vacation time. I’m going to Florida,” as Ramos recalled to the Boston Globe.
Ramos also mentioned that Mafalda promised to call once she reached her destination.
“I am still waiting for that call, because part of me still cannot believe she is gone,” Ramos expressed.
At the time of the accident, Mafalda was traveling with her husband, Igor Ernesto, in a Chevrolet Suburban. Their journey to a much-needed getaway was abruptly ended when a passenger bus, failing to reduce speed in a work zone, crashed into their vehicle.
The impact forced her Suburban into an Acura carrying Dmitri Doncev, 45, his wife Ecaterina Doncev, 44, and their children, Emily Doncev, 14, and Mark Doncev, 7, all of whom were also killed in the tragedy.
The driver of the bus, Jing S Dong, 48, is now facing five counts of involuntary manslaughter and a misdemeanor count of reckless driving, according to WJLA.
Priscilla R Mafalda, 25, of Worcester, was identified over the weekend as the fifth person killed in a horrific crash on Interstate 95 on Friday
Mafalda was on her way with her husband, Igor Ernesto, to a well-earned vacation when the Chevrolet Suburban she was traveling in was struck by a passenger bus that failed to slow for traffic near a work zone
Friends and co-workers described how Mafalda, who was born in Brazil, built a life in Massachusetts.
She had worked for a home-cleaning company in Worcester for years, where her boss Monique Almeida said she ‘became much more than a coworker!!!’
‘I will always remember her beautiful smile, here kindness and the way she made people feel comfortable and cared for,’ Almeida told WHDH.
Ramos also described the 25 year old as ‘one of the kindest and hardest-working people I have ever known,’ and fellow co-worker Milene Santos said, ‘It was so easy to become her friend and so easy to love her.
‘Losing her has been a pain I never imagined I would feel,’ she told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. ‘It hurts knowing we didn’t have enough time to do everything we had planned together.
‘She will always remain in my heart as one of the most beautiful memories of my life,’ Santos continued. ‘I will never forget everything she did for me, the love she gave me and the light she carried wherever she went.’
An online fundraiser was set up to return Mafalda’s remains to Brazil for burial, but was paused after reaching $21,887.
‘Thank you to everyone who contributed, God bless you all!’ it now reads in Portuguese.
The impact forced her Suburban into an Acura, killing the four family members inside
Authorities said on Friday night that 44 people were taken to hospitals, including three in critical condition
‘The costs of the transfer have been covered and all funds raised from now on will be allocated to medical care, hospital costs and rehabilitation for the survivors who are hospitalized.’
An earlier version also noted that Ernesto was hospitalized following the crash, according to the Globe. His condition was unclear.
Police had earlier said that in addition to the five fatalities, 44 people were taken to hospitals, including three in critical condition. Police said there were ‘approximately’ 34 passengers on the bus.
‘We’ve got patients in multiple hospitals. We’ve got the driver at a hospital here,’ said Peyton Vogel, a Federal Transit Administration spokesperson who was on the scene.
‘I’ve got to say, this is one of the most tragic things I’ve ever seen. Absolutely tragic.’
The Stafford Fire Department called the emergency response ‘a complex and labor-intensive operation that required a coordinated response from multiple agencies across the region.’
Dmitri Doncev, 45, his wife Ecaterina Doncev, 44, and their children, Emily Doncev, 14, and Mark Doncev, 7, were also killed in the tragedy
The driver of the bus, Jing S Dong, 48, is now facing five counts of involuntary manslaughter and a misdemeanor count of reckless driving
Wayne Tobin, a passenger on the bus when it crashed at around 2.35am, told local ABC affiliate, WUSA, he was on his way to his mother’s funeral.
‘It was horrible. It was just like blood everywhere, it was people holding their head. Their heads were bleeding,’ he recalled.
Another passenger named Judy said she woke up to screaming and ‘glass flying everywhere,’ adding, ‘The bus turning over, a guy broke the glass to get us all out.’
Dong, the bus driver, is a Chinese immigrant and a US citizen, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Friday night.
He received his commercial driver’s license from New York State in 2024. Dong is from Staten Island.
He had a previous traffic citation out of Maryland, where he was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
Dong had been issued a citation by Maryland State Police on March 9 for going over the speed limit, driving at 72 mph in a posted 50mph zone at around 1.20am.
Passengers were onboard the charter bus he was driving at the time, but a spokesperson for the state police could not confirm how many passengers there were to WJLA.
‘Unacceptable. This is exactly why we are holding states’ accountable, enforcing the rules of the road, and cracking down on drivers who can’t speak English,’ Duffy said in a statement on X.
Dong is now hospitalized from injuries he sustained in the crash, but will remain in police custody.
