The federal agency investigating a 2023 crash and fire in Philadelphia that destroyed a section of Interstate 95 blamed the incident on excess speed and possible driver inattention.
The National Transportation Safety Board last week issued its final report on the June 11, 2023 crash and fire that claimed the life of the driver Nathaniel Moody and caused the collapse of part of I-95. The report says the 2017 International pulling a 2004 tank trailer exited I-95 at the Cottman Avenue Exit traveling between 44 and 54 miles an hour. The advisory speed limit on the exit is 25 mph.
The report says, “… the driver lost control on the decreasing-radius, leftward curve, causing it to roll onto its right (passenger) side and strike the adjacent concrete barrier. A subsequent fire destroyed the truck and caused the collapse of the northbound overpass lanes of I-95.”
The NTSB also says Moody “… exited the interstate onto the exit ramp well above the posted advisory speed limit, due to inattention to the roadway potentially associated with fatigue. Contributing to the severity of the postcrash fire was the driver’s failure to secure the vehicle’s manhole cover during his pretrip inspection, which enabled the gasoline that was being transported to quickly enter the environment and spread throughout the crash area.”
The tractor-trailer, operated by Penn Tank Lines was transporting 8,500 gallons of gasoline to a convenience store at the time of the crash.
The agency’s report stressed the importance of preventing driver fatigue.
“For more than 15 years, the NTSB has advocated for and promoted fatigue management programs, such as the North American Fatigue Management Program, and their use by motor carriers to reduce fatigue-related crashes. Among the many strategies that a robust fatigue management program can promote, the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, crash highlights the importance of drivers adopting sleep schedules that do not change substantially between their workdays and their days off.”
The NTSB also said electronic stability control could have helped to prevent the rollover in this crash. The agency said, “It remains critical that the U.S. Department of Transportation identify opportunities to expedite the deployment of this technology to lighter commercial vehicles as well, where its capability of preventing a catastrophic outcome is even more assured.”
The crash caused part of the northbound lanes of I-95 to collapse. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation quickly installed a temporary wall and roadway; successfully reopening the highway in just 12 days.
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