Truck fire that caused I-95 bridge collapse started with unsecured gasoline hatch

An unsecured hatch allowed gasoline to spill out of a tanker truck when it overturned, igniting and causing a fire that led to the partial collapse of a section of I-95 in Northeast Philadelphia last year, federal investigators found in a newly released report.

Investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined that the hatch, a 16-inch “manhole” on the gasoline delivery truck driven by Nathan Moody, was left open following a refill at a terminal in Wilmington. Moody, 53, was killed in the crash, which occurred last June as he was delivering gasoline to a Wawa in Philadelphia’s Fox Chase neighborhood.

The crash and subsequent partial collapse of a bridge over the northbound Cottman Avenue off-ramp snarled traffic for weeks. A temporary fix had the bridge reopened to traffic within 12 days of the crash, and the area fully reopened last month.

ATF investigators said that the fire “most likely originated when gasoline escaped” the tanker truck’s open hatch as the vehicle overturned on the ramp. As a result, the tanker spilled about 2,500 gallons of gasoline and ethanol. The unsecured storage area had a 2,600-gallon capacity, meaning it was about 96% full at the time of the crash, investigators said.

Surveillance video reviewed by ATF investigators showed that after the vehicle overturned, it remained in motion, and “a flame front could be observed originating near the front of the tractor-trailer.” The flames, investigators said, spread “rapidly toward the rear of the truck and engulfed it as the truck continued to slide.”

“Sparks and hot surfaces resulting from fiction between metal vehicle components and concrete or other metal surfaces likely caused the ignition,” the report read. It does not mention the potential speed of the truck at the time of the crash.

The ATF’s report was completed in September, but released Wednesday as part of a set of materials made public by the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB has not yet released a final report on the cause of the blaze, but issued its preliminary findings in the days following the crash.

The NTSB’s preliminary report found that “the truck driver was unable to maintain control of the combination vehicle on the off-ramp,” caused the truck to roll over, crash, and catch fire as Moody was exiting the highway. The agency added that the posted speed limit on the off-ramp was 25 mph, and a truck-rollover warning sign had been posted in the area where the ramp curved and passed underneath the highway.

The ATF, meanwhile, added in its report that although the open hatch and subsequent crash were the likely cause of the fire, other elements may be to blame. The “less likely” causes, investigators wrote, include a possible rupture in the vehicle’s aluminum tank or diesel saddle tanks, or potential damage to components that could have released flammable vapors.

Moody’s cousin, Isaac Moody, a truck driver himself, said Thursday that he was unaware of the tanker manhole cover issue but knew Nathan to be a safety-conscious driver who stayed up on regulations and training requirements.

“It’s so easy for them to throw the blame on the trucker in almost every accident that happens,” Isaac Moody said. “As soon as a trucker cannot defend themselves, they find all kinds of stuff.”

Moody, a Willow Grove resident, worked for Pennsauken-based gas-hauling company TK Transport, and was an owner-operator of the tanker truck. At the time of the crash, records maintained by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration indicated that the company wasn’t authorized to operate in an interstate capacity following a 2015 crash on an approach to the Betsy Ross Bridge, The Inquirer previously reported.

It is not yet clear when the NTSB’s final report may be issued.

This article contains information from the Associated Press.