4 new charges for driver in Va. bus crash

BOWLING GREEN, Va. -- A driver for a low-fare interstate bus service was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter Friday after a brief court appearance on another charge stemming from this week's crash in Virginia that killed four passengers and injured dozens more.

Kin Yiu Cheung, 37, of Flushing, Queens, had been free on bond, but he was arrested on the new charges shortly after appearing in Caroline County court Friday morning. Cheung was in court to answer to a misdemeanor reckless driving charge stemming from the Tuesday crash on Interstate 95 about 30 miles north of Richmond.

The new charges are felonies, each carrying a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Police say Cheung was fatigued when the Sky Express bus he was driving swerved off the highway shortly before 5 a.m., hit an embankment and overturned. It had departed Greensboro, N.C., Monday night bound for New York City with 58 people, including the driver.

Cheung's lawyer, Murray Janus, called the wreck a "tragic accident."

A spokeswoman for Sky Express did not immediately comment.

Transportation Department officials were in the process of shutting down the company at the time of the crash, but had given the Charlotte, N.C.-based company an extra 10 days to appeal an unsatisfactory safety rating.

After the crash, federal officials shut down the bus line.

Virginia State Police have identified those killed in the crash as Karen Blyden-Decastro, 46, of Cambria Heights, Queens; Sie Giok Giang, 63, of Philadelphia; Josefa Torres, 78, of Jamaica, Queens; and Denny Estefany Martinez, 25, of Jersey City.

Police said Cheung was being held without bond at Pamunkey Regional Jail. A court hearing is set for Wednesday, and a grand jury is to hear the latest charges on July 6. -- AP