Global Courant
Human remains were found where a tanker truck caught fire under an overpass, causing a section of Interstate 95 to collapse in Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania State Police told Fox News that the remains have been discovered and are at the medical examiner’s office. They have not yet been officially identified.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the medical examiner and the mayor’s office. Officials initially said there were no injuries or deaths in the incident.
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All lanes of I-95 were closed in both directions between the Woodhaven and Aramingo exits early Sunday due to a fire and subsequent road collapse, officials said. Human remains were found at the site, authorities reported on Monday. (Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management)
Relatives identified the truck driver as 53-year-old Nathaniel Moody, Fox Philadelphia reported. Authorities have not yet said whether the remains found were those of Moody.
“He wanted to raise his girl to know what a good dad was, to know what a hard-working dad was,” Issac Moody told the news outlet. “He didn’t drink, he didn’t smoke, he certainly didn’t do drugs.”
Issac Moody said Nathaniel Moody was carrying 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, ‘Nate, what happened? Nate, what happened?'” he said. ‘Is he cut off? Was there something down there that he had to dodge? All I can say is he wasn’t a careless driver.’
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) arrived at the scene of the collapse on Sunday evening.
“Today, the team began collecting data on the truck and has contacted the motor carrier regarding fleet operation,” the NTSB said in a statement posted to Twitter Monday. “The team has also started collecting information from emergency response teams about the sequence of events.”
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The NTSB has engaged specialists in motorcycle transportation and hazardous materials safety, highway and engineering reconstruction, and emergency response. The agency said a preliminary report will be available in two to three weeks.
A firefighter surveys the aftermath of an elevated section of Interstate 95 that collapsed Monday, June 12, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (AP/Matt Rourke)
At a press conference on Monday, authorities said a tanker truck carrying 8,500 liters of petrol was traveling on the northbound lanes of the highway and tipped to the left at an exit on Sunday morning. The accident caused gasoline to leak from the vehicle and catch fire.
The fire was extinguished around 7:30 am
Inspectors determined that beams were no longer suitable for travel due to the fire and work was underway to demolish them. Fox Philadelphia reported.
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Officials are working on the scene after 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 on site Monday working to open the affected section of the highway, the Transport Ministry said. A spokesperson for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) said on Sunday they are working with other agencies to ensure the highway is repaired as quickly as possible.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro issued a disaster declaration Monday, allowing the state to draw federal funds to repair and rebuild the damaged highway.
