Philadelphia I-95 collapse: Human remains found at wreckage site, family IDs truck driver
A tanker carrying gasoline crashed and caught fire, resulting in the collapse of a portion of the highway Sunday morning
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Human remains were found at the site where a tanker truck caught fire underneath an overpass causing a portion of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia to collapse.
The Pennsylvania State Police told Fox News the remains were discovered and are with the Medical Examiner's office, which identified the driver of the tanker as 53-year-old Nathaniel Moody.
Moody's cause of death was determined to be "blunt trauma of head and Inhalation and thermal injuries," and his manner of death was ruled an accident, Fox 29 Philly reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Officials initially said there were no injures or fatalities from the incident.
VIDEO CAPTURES DIP IN ROAD MOMENTS BEFORE PHILADELPHIA I-95 COLLAPSE
All lanes of I-95 were closed in both directions between Woodhaven and Aramingo exits early Sunday due to a fire and subsequent road collapse, officials said. Human remains have been found at the site, authorities said Monday. (Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management)
"He wanted to raise his girl to know what a good dad was, to know what a hardworking dad was," Issac Moody told the news outlet. "He didn't drink, he didn't smoke, he damn-sure didn't use any drugs."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Issac Moody said Nathaniel Moody was transporting fuel for a company in Pennsauken, New Jersey, at the time of the crash and had more than 10 years of experience.
"You just ask yourself, like, ‘Nate, what happened? Nate, what happened?’," he said. "Did he get cut off? Was there something down there that he had to swerve from? The one thing I can say is that he wasn't a careless driver."
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators arrived at the scene of the collapse Sunday evening.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nathaniel Moody, 53, was identified as the driver of the fuel tanker that caught fire prior to a fire and collapse of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. (Courtesy of the Moody family)
"Today, the team began gathering data about the truck, and contacted the motor carrier about its fleet operation," the NTSB said in a statement posted to Twitter on Monday. "The team also started gathering information from emergency response teams on the sequence of events."
The NTSB has brought in specialists in motor carrier and hazardous materials safety, highway and technical reconstruction and emergency response. The agency said a preliminary report will be available in two to three weeks.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A firefighter views the aftermath of an elevated section of Interstate 95 that collapsed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Monday, June 12. (AP/Matt Rourke)
During a Monday news conference, authorities said a tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline was traveling in the northbound lanes of the highway and was overturned while on a left-hand turn on an off-ramp Sunday morning. The crash caused gasoline to leak from the vehicle and catch fire.
The fire was extinguished by 7:30 a.m.
Inspectors have determined that beams were no longer suitable for travel due to the fire and work was being done to demolish them, Fox Philadelphia reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NORTH CAROLINA FREIGHT TRAIN COLLIDES WITH SEMI-TRUCK IN DRAMATIC VIDEO
Officials work on the scene following the collapse of an elevated section of Interstate 95 after a tanker truck caught fire, Sunday, June 11, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti)
Officials and crews were at the site Monday and were working to open the impacted portion of the highway, the state Department of Transportation said. A Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) spokesperson on Sunday said they are coordinating with other agencies to ensure that the highway is repaired as fast as possible.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro issued a disaster declaration Monday, which will allow the state to draw federal funds for the repair and reconstruction of the damaged highway.