Fatal I-95 Overpass Blaze in Philly Linked to Unsecured Tanker Hatch; Speeding Also a Factor, NTSB Reports

After the devastating blaze that engulfed a portion of the I-95 overpass last year, authorities have begun to piece together the chain of events that led up to the disaster. An investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, revealed Thursday, pinpoints an unsecured hatch on the tanker as the culprit for spilling approximately 2,500 gallons of fuel, intensifying the fire that ultimately collapsed the structure.

The accident, which took place on June 11, 2023, claimed the life of 53-year-old truck driver Nathan Moody, who perished as his vehicle rolled over on a northbound off-ramp at Cottman Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia. Moody had made a stop earlier that day in Wilmington, Delaware, before heading to make a delivery at a Wawa in Philadelphia. It appears that the driver may have neglected to securely fasten the gas tank's hatch post-refueling, which set in motion a series of events leading tragically to his demise.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is continuing its investigation into the cause of the explosion. As part of a compilation of investigative materials, the NTSB's "human performance" report highlighted that the tanker had been maneuvering the off-ramp at a speed deemed excessively high, following findings from surveillance footage examined. According to NBC Philadelphia, "Video footage of the truck at his previous stop indicated that the truck driver neglected to close the manhole cover at the top of the tank before driving away," said the NTSB.

In the meantime, after almost a year of construction and rerouting, a new stretch of the I-95 has been erected and was fully opened to the public in May 2024, allowing traffic to resume its usual flow through the affected area. However, TK Transport, the New Jersey-based company that owned the tanker, declined to comment on the NTSB findings as did their affiliate, Penn Tank Lines from Chester Spring, Pennsylvania. "No one was available to speak about the NTSB report," the company stated in a message conveyed by CBS News Philadelphia. The silence from these companies has only served to add a layer of unanswered questions surrounding the mechanisms that failed to ensure safety on that fateful day.