Truck driver killed in fiery Philadelphia I-95 crash made critical mistake, feds say

One year after a deadly crash destroyed a bridge along I-95 in Philadelphia, federal investigators have made public a report that says gasoline spilled out from an unsecured hatch on top of the gasoline delivery tanker that overturned.

Investigators viewed video evidence showing that the cover of a 16-inch manhole had been open when driver Nathaniel Moody, 53, arrived at a Wilmington, Delaware, station to refill the tank, and it had not been properly secured when he drove away to deliver it to a convenience store 42 miles away, The Associated Press reports. 

An "origin and cause" report by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which was issued in September but made public late Wednesday, said the "combined opinion" of its investigators is "that the fire most likely originated when gasoline escaped" from the open manhole as the trailer overturned and nearly 2,500 gallons of mixed gasoline and ethanol began to spill out from a section of the tank and ignite. 

"It’s so easy for them to throw the blame on the trucker in almost every accident that happens," Moody's cousin, Isaac Moody, who is also a truck driver, told the AP. "As soon as a trucker cannot defend themselves, they find all kinds of stuff."

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The crash happened June 11, 2023. Authorities said a tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline was traveling in the northbound lanes of the highway and was overturned while on a left-hand turn on an off-ramp. The crash caused gasoline to leak from the vehicle and catch fire. 

A portion of I-95 that had collapsed after flames and smoke billowed near Cottman Avenue and State Road in Northeast Philadelphia was closed. 

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A permanent bridge opened to traffic in November, and the highway returned to normal operations last month.

Moody lived in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, and had been an owner-operator with a commercial driver’s license since 2003. His cause of death was determined to be "blunt trauma of head and Inhalation and thermal injuries," and his manner of death was ruled an accident, Fox 29 Philly reported. His cousin Isaac Moody knew him to be a safety-conscious driver who stayed up with regulations and training requirements.

Fox News' Stephen Sorace, Louis Casiano and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Train in Georgia slams into semitruck on video, driver barely escapes

A truck driver is lucky to be alive after escaping a tractor trailer's cab moments before a train slammed into it.

The wild video was captured Tuesday off Allatoona Road near Interstate 75 exit 283 in Bartow County, outside of Atlanta, local TV station WSB reports. 

Georgia man Zack Hatcher was behind the semi that got stalled on the train tracks, and he began recording. The train's horns can be heard while the crossing lights flash and bells sound. The train's front lights approach before the loud impact can be heard.

"The f---ing train just hit this truck," Hatcher can be heard saying in the video before asking the truck driver, "You alright, man?" 

ATLANTA BUS HIJACKING SUSPECT HAD 19 PRIOR ARRESTS, MENTAL ILLNESSES, FAMILY SAYS

The truck's load can be seen scattered across the area while the train sits still on the tracks following the crash. 

"The engineer and conductor both stated that they could see the truck stopped on the tracks. They started breaking as soon as they saw the truck, but they were not able to stop in time," City of Emerson Police Department Capt. Lisa Fuller told ABC News. 

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Authorities say Tuesday's incident is the eighth documented one at the same train crossing since 2017, and other trucks stalled there due to the turning radius near the tracks. Thankfully, no one was injured in this latest one caught on camera.

"There's been incidents before where the drivers weren't able to get out of the vehicles," Fuller said. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Bartow County Sheriff's Office for more information on the incident.