PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The family of Philadelphia man Nathaniel Moody, who died at the age of 53 when his tanker truck crashed under an elevated section of I-95 on Sunday, says they are looking for answers.
Meanwhile, they are mourning the father of three, their “Nate the Great,” their rock.
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“I’d just saw Nate that Friday, and he always stopped by the house, and he’d have Little Momma with him. Little Momma was his younger daughter,” said cousin Isaac Moody, who spoke to KYW the day after the family identified his remains at the morgue.
Isaac says Little Momma was always “daddy’s girl,” and she’s going to be especially hurt by her father’s death, “because everywhere Nate went, she was like a bump on his hip.”
“When I saw him Friday, the last thing we said to each other was, ‘Love you, cuz.’ And we gave each other the handshake,” Isaac said, referring to a special handshake they shared, which they picked up from Isaac’s dad.
“When I saw him Friday, the last thing we said to each other was, ‘Love you, cuz.’ And we gave each other the handshake,” Isaac said.
The Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office publicly identified Nate on Tuesday night, following an autopsy, and ruled his death an accident.
Nate worked in South Jersey for TK Transport out of Pennsauken. Pennsylvania State Police believe his truck, carrying nearly 10,000 gallons of gasoline, struck a support wall early Sunday morning, while taking a turn at the end of the Cottman Avenue exit off I-95. The crash ignited an intense fire, causing the northbound lanes above to collapse and the southbound lanes to buckle and sink.
Isaac said Nate was a veteran driver and he knew his route well. He remembers his cousin as a structured person who liked his routines, an Army veteran who took his job very seriously. And he just doesn’t understand how any of this could have happened.
“Nate was already doing this run, taking about three months, six months, or more. Nate was already doing this run. We’re talking about someone who was experienced doing liquid chemical transport for years,” Isaac said.
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He said Nate believed safety was paramount, because his goal was always to get home to his family. Now, half a week after the crash, that family has more questions than answers as they try to make sense of what happened and figure out what comes next.
“I don’t know what happens next,” he said. “We have to get through this first. and see where we go from here.”
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