Highway overpass collapse victim identified as truck driver who was father-of-three

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Nathan Moody (left) was killed in the fire that caused a portion of I-95 to collapse in Philadelphia
Nathan Moody (left) was killed in the fire that caused a portion of I-95 to collapse in Philadelphia (Picture: REUTERS)

The driver of a tanker truck that caught fire and caused a highway to collapse in Philadelphia was identified after being found dead in the rubble.

The deadly crash and fire took place underneath an overpass on Interstate 95, a major highway that connects Miami, Florida to northern Maine.

Although no drivers on I-95 were hurt in the collapse, the driver of the truck was still unaccounted for. A body was finally uncovered in the rubble on Monday.

On Tuesday night, the Philadelphia medical examiner’s office confirmed the body belonged to the truck’s driver, Nathan Moody. The 53-year-old driver was the father of three children and a US Army veteran.

Firefighters and construction crews work near the aftermath of an elevated section of Interstate 95 that collapsed, in Philadelphia, Monday, June 12, 2023. Drivers began longer commutes Monday after a section of Interstate 95 collapsed a day earlier following damage caused by a tanker truck carrying flammable cargo catching fire. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Construction workers and first responders search through the rubble of the collapsed section of highway (Picture: AP)
A mass of tangled rebar lay at the scene of a collapsed elevated section of Interstate 95, Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
A tangled mass of rebar is seen in the rubble of the collapsed overpass (Picture: AP)

The Medical Examiner’s Office said Moody’s cause of death was blunt trauma to the head, smoke inhalation, and thermal injuries. His death was ruled an accident.

On Sunday, Moody drove a tanker truck carrying gasoline northbound on I-95. Around 6.20am, the truck exited the highway in northeast Philadelphia at the Cottman Avenue exit.

Moody was scheduled to deliver 8,500 gallons of gasoline to a local convenience store, officials said.

Investigators believe the driver lost control of the truck while exiting the highway. It then rolled onto its side before bursting into flame underneath the overpass.

Security camera footage from local businesses obtained by NBC Philadelphia appear to show the moment the explosion occurred, only seconds after the truck left the exit ramp.

The overpass on I-95 dramatically collapsed shortly after the fire was sparked underneath.

The collapse has shut down I-95 in both directions in Philadelphia, where officials estimate a total of 160,000 vehicles traverse the highway per day.

A person views the scene of a collapsed elevated section of Interstate 95, Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Construction workers already began clearing the site of the highway collapse (Picture: AP)
A construction worker cuts rebar at the scene of a collapsed elevated section of Interstate 95, in Philadelphia, Wednesday, June 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A construction worker cuts through destroyed rebar on I-95 (Picture: AP)

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro issued a disaster declaration on Monday, freeing up federal funds and skipping a bidding process typically used to hire contractors for the reconstruction.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who toured the collapse site on TKTKTK, said the collapse would cause a ‘major disruption’ to the entire northeast.

‘This is not just about commutes — this is also supply chain,’ Buttigieg said.

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