Authorities have yet to publicly identify the body removed from the rubble.
Photo: Mark Makela/Getty Images
The man who was found dead Monday in the remains of the Interstate 95 bridge that collapsed Sunday in Philadelphia has been identified by his family.
It is about the cfuel truck driver which caught fire under the I-95 overpass, the flames of which caused the bridge to collapse.
The relatives said that the man was named Nathaniel “Nate” Moody, 53, who was the father of three children and an Army veteran. He also had an impeccable driving record and had been responsible for delivering gasoline to Wawa gas stations throughout the region.
The driver’s cousin, Alex Moody, told NBC Philadelphia that Nathaniel was a hardworking family man who had been driving trucks for a decade.
“We have always been cool and strict. He has very mild manners. A quiet guy. A really calm person. He gets along with everyone,” he recounted.
Authorities have yet to publicly identify the body removed from the rubble.
Asked at a news conference if the body found was that of the tanker driver, Pennsylvania Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll said the medical examiner would comment on that.
The order to demolish the lanes came after inspectors discovered that the support beams supporting the southbound rails had been severely weakened by the explosion of the cargo vehicle, which occurred early in the morning.
The police said that the driver of the 8,500 gallon tanker truck apparently lost control while trying to take a curve on the exit ramp, whereupon he crashed into a wall under the interstate.
The truck was carrying a loading fuel to a local gas station in Wawa and had just exited the ramp from I-95 North to Cottman Avenue, which runs under the highway, when the tanker truck exploded.
“Engineering and inspection of the southbound bridge indicated that it is compromised as a result of the fire. The I-beams are unable to support traffic, so that structure needs to be removed and we’ll start today,” Carroll said.
Contractors hired by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will be working around the clock “in an effort to try to expedite the solution,” Carroll added.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has warned that it could take months to repair this key stretch of highway. linking the two largest cities on the East Coast, New York and Philadelphia, and transporting approximately 160,000 vehicles per day.
“We expect the demolition to be completed in four to five days,” Carroll said.
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