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I-95 bus crash survivor: ‘God put the shoe in front of me’

Posted at 1:10 PM, Mar 17, 2014
and last updated 2014-03-17 14:21:52-04

STAFFORD COUNTY, Va (WTVR) - A passenger bus carrying more than 50 people flipped on a snowy Interstate 95 in Stafford Monday morning.

Shanora Moore

Shanora Moore, who was sitting on the bus in seat 35, said right before the bus swerved and flipped, she thought to herself that the bus was going way too fast for the snowy, slushy conditions.

"I looked out the window and wondered to myself if he [the driver] knows this slush is nothing to play with; and then as soon as the thought came to my mind, it was over," Moore said.

I-95 Bus CrashFifty-eight people were transported to the hospital, including the driver.  Most of their injuries were bumps, scrapes, and bruises.  Virginia State Police said four people suffered serious, non-life threatening injuries.

"I couldn't feel anything," said Moore, who is now wearing a neck brace because of her injuries.

ShoeThe bus flipped over on its right side, and since she was sitting on the left, Moore said she had to grab the seat to keep from falling.

"When I looked down, there were people under me so if I let go I would land on their head," she said.

Moore said the impact of the wreck was so violent that her left shoe popped off her foot.  When she met with CBS 6 reporter Jake Burns Monday, Moore was wearing someone else's shoe she found at the scene.

"I think God put the shoe in front of me," said Moore.

Qilong Xiao

Qilong Xiao

The driver of the bus, Qilong Xiao, 50, of Flushing, N.Y., refused medical treatment at the scene. He has been charged with reckless driving because investigators believe speed was a in the wreck, state police said in an email.

The bus company that the bus is registered with, Princess Tour Inc. of Indianapolis is working with officials in Virginia to get the passengers on their way.  The bus originally left New York and was headed to Georgia, officials said.