As motorists across the region anticipate Friday’s reopening of I-95, a friend of the man who died after his tanker truck crashed and caught fire on the highway is making sure he won’t be forgotten.
“This was a dad. This was a partner. This was a community member,” Alex Harcharek of Merchantville, New Jersey, told NBC10.
On June 11 at 6:20 a.m., Harcharek’s friend and neighbor, 53-year-old Nathan Moody, was driving a tanker truck that was carrying about 8,500 gallons of gasoline in Northeast Philadelphia.
As Moody exited I-95 onto Cottman Avenue, he lost control of the vehicle while navigating a turn at the end of the exit, according to investigators. The vehicle then turned onto its side before it ruptured and eventually exploded, officials said. Surveillance video from a nearby business captured the crash and explosion.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
Fire from the explosion caused an elevated section of I-95 to collapse. Responding firefighters were eventually able to get the flames under control.
Moody’s remains were found in the rubble of the collapse the next day. Investigators said he died from blunt trauma to the head, inhalation and thermal injuries. His death was ruled an accident.
The collapse closed I-95 in both directions between the Aramingo and Woodhaven exits. Officials announced Thursday that temporary lanes on I-95 will reopen to traffic on Friday at noon, well ahead of schedule.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
While much attention has been placed on the rebuild of I-95 and the impact on traffic, Harcharek is making sure none of those things overshadow the fact that her friend lost his life.
“I wanted to make sure the story of the man didn’t get overshadowed by the story of a bridge repair and that people understood that this was a real human being,” she said.
Moody’s family described him as a hardworking father of three and Army veteran who owned his own truck and had been driving trucks for a decade. Harcharek also talked about the connection her family has with Moody’s.
“Our daughters just finished first grade together and I just loved seeing them play on the playground,” she said. “They had just started to really get to be closer friends.”
Harcharek also said the timing of Moody’s death only added to the tragedy.
“From one parent to another, thinking about how their child must feel, on top of it being Father’s Day and this past Saturday would’ve been Nate’s 54th birthday,” she said.
While funeral plans have not yet been finalized, Harcharek created a GoFundMe to help Moody’s family cover the costs. So far, more than $35,000 have been raised. Harcharek talked about the impact the support has had on Moody’s longtime partner who continues to cope with her loss.
“Overwhelmed is a good word to describe it,” Harcharek said. “There’s so much that goes into dealing with a sudden loss that you don’t even think about it until it happens. But she’s very grateful for the support. We’ve been able to talk every day.”
In addition to the money, friends and family of Moody have also shared their own stories in a series of messages.
“Some of the stories that people have shared about their own loss or their life as a truck driver, we’re going to be collecting those to share with Nate’s daughter so people continue to have kind messages,” Harcharek said. “We will collect those. Make sure that she gets them.”
