One person was killed and 15 others were hurt Tuesday evening when a car and a bus carrying visitors from China crashed head-on on George Washington Parkway in Northern Virginia.
The shuttle bus rolled over, landed on its side and slid, trapping passengers beneath it, U.S. Park Police said. More than a dozen good Samaritans are being hailed as heroes for lifting the bus off the victims.
The crash occurred about 5 p.m. in Mt. Vernon and closed the parkway in both directions until early Wednesday morning.
The bus with 18 passengers on board was headed northbound, away from the plantation home of George Washington, when it crashed with a car traveling southbound, near Stratford Lane.
The bus fell onto its left side and slid off the roadway. The car, which had a driver and one passenger inside, crashed into a wooded area.
At least a dozen people, some of whom were believed to be members of the military, stopped to help the victims. They were able to lift the bus and treat wounded people before EMS crews arrived, Sgt. Anna Rose said, describing "a noble act."
Nineteen people were rushed to hospitals. One passenger on the bus was pronounced dead.
The person killed had not been identified as of Wednesday morning. The Chinese embassy was working to contact the victims' family members and assist victims, the embassy said in a statement.
Two women remained in critical condition Wednesday morning.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The bus driver was not seriously hurt and is speaking with police.
Police ask anyone who witnessed the crash, plus anyone who "participated in the heroic act of lifting the bus," to call 202-610-7500.
