Officials reveal cause of death of truck driver in I-95 crash and collapse – NBC10 Philadelphia

Officials revealed the cause and manner of death of a truck driver whose body was found in the rubble a day after his vehicle crashed, caught fire and caused a portion of I-95 to collapse in Northeast Philadelphia.

Nathan Moody, 53, died from blunt trauma to the head, inhalation and thermal injuries, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner revealed Tuesday night. His death was ruled an accident.

Moody was driving a tanker truck that was carrying about 8,500 gallons of gasoline in Northeast Philadelphia on Sunday around 6:20 a.m., officials said.

As Moody exited I-95 onto Cottman Avenue, he lost control of the vehicle while navigating a turn at the end of the exit, according to investigators. The vehicle then turned onto its side before it ruptured and eventually exploded, officials said. Surveillance video from a nearby business captured the crash and explosion.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg toured the I-95 collapse site in Northeast Philadelphia on Tuesday. He promised federal funding would be available as soon as possible for repairs. NBC10’s Rosemary Connors has the details as well as surveillance video that appears to show the moment the tanker truck crashed and exploded.

Fire from the explosion caused an elevated section of I-95 to collapse. Responding firefighters were eventually able to get the flames under control.

Officials closed I-95 in both directions between the Aramingo and Woodhaven exits.

At about 2 p.m. Monday, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania State Police said remains had been pulled out of the rubble. Family members identified the victim as Moody before investigators officially identified him a day later.

No other vehicles are believed to have been involved in the crash, officials said.

Family members said Moody was a married father of three and an Army veteran who owned his own truck. His cousin, Alex Moody, described him as a hardworking family man who lived in the Philadelphia area and had been driving trucks for a decade.

“My cousin is a hardworking man. Family man. Good husband and father to his wife and daughter,” Alex Moody told NBC10. “We’ve always been cool and tight. He’s very mild mannered. Calm guy. Really calm person. He gets along with everybody.”

Moody’s other cousin, Isaac Moody, told NBC10 the two were just hanging out on Friday and had plans to meet up again for a cookout on Father’s Day.

“Nate and I did that handshake then we gave each other the hug and I was like, ‘Alright cuz, I’ll see you man. I’ll talk to you such and such.’ He was supposed to call me Saturday, you know? He was supposed to call me Sunday,” Isaac Moody said.

When Isaac Moody first found out about the fire and collapse, he held out hope that his cousin — who was more like a brother to him — would be found alive.

“Whatever got in Nate’s way, he had to bail out the truck,” Isaac Moody said. “Maybe they’ll find him under some rubble or maybe he might still be alive. That’s what I’m thinking. I’m trying to be as optimistic as possible.”

Isaac Moody described the moment he found out his cousin had died.

“His older sister called me and she said, ‘Ike, the state troopers just left Theresa in Jersey’ and they told her they pulled the body from the truck,” he said.

Family members said Moody drove the same route in and around the I-95 ramp all the time. They also told NBC10 he had a spotless driving record and delivered gasoline to Wawa stores across the region.

“Nobody ever bothers to look at who could have caused that truck, what could have caused that truck, how could that truck have lost control,” Isaac Moody said.

NBC10 reached out to the trucking company Moody worked for but they declined to comment.