Driver Killed In I-95 Collapse Was A Loving Father Who Lived In South Jersey, Family Says

PHILADELPHIA — A South Jersey man, who loved ones identified as a victim of Sunday's overpass collapse in Philadelphia, was an experienced truck driver and a dedicated family member, according to relatives.

Nathaniel Moody, of Pennsauken, was driving a tanker truck when it crashed and caught fire under Interstate 95, his cousin, Isaac Moody, told Action News and Fox 29. He had been transporting gasoline for TK Transport, a Pennsauken-based company, according to his cousin.

Moody was 53, according to Fox 29.

Pennsylvania State Police have not confirmed the driver's identity as of 10 a.m. Tuesday. Officials pulled human remains from the wreckage Monday and turned them over to the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office, which will provide full details on the driver and their cause of death.

I-95 Collapse Coverage:

• I-95 Collapse: Everything We Know So Far
• Body Pulled From I-95 Collapse Wreckage

Moody's family hoped he escaped the wreckage and would turn up at a local hospital, according to Action News. But it never happened. He leaves behind his longtime girlfriend and a 7-year-old daughter, who was the center of his world, his family told the news outlet.

"He wanted to raise his girl to know what a good Dad was, to know what a hardworking Dad was," his cousin told Fox 29. "He didn't drink, he didn't smoke, he damn-sure didn't use any drugs."

At the scene of the wreckage, officials removed the tractor-trailer that was hauling 8,500 gallons of gasoline that crashed below the highway on the Route 73/Cottman Avenue ramp at around 6:20 a.m. Sunday. Extreme heat from the fire caused the overpass's northbound side to collapse, while also compromising the southbound portion.

Demolition on the southbound lanes of Interstate 95 began Monday due to the fire compromising the metal I-beam's structural integrity. The repercussions of the collapse, which has closed the highway in both directions, will be felt for months, officials said.

Officials said the bridge that collapsed was built 10 to 12 years ago.