After I-95 Collapse in Philadelphia, a Body Is Found Amid Wreckage

Authorities on Monday said that a section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia burned and collapsed after a truck driver trying to navigate a curve lost control of a tanker carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline, which fell on its side and ruptured.

The resulting fire brought down one portion of the highway and damaged another so badly that it will be demolished this week, officials said, sending traffic disruptions spiraling across the region.

The Pennsylvania State Police announced on Monday afternoon that a body had been found in the debris, but that authorities were still in the process of identifying the remains.

Family members of Nathan Moody, a 53-year-old truck driver who lived in New Jersey and delivered fuel to gas stations in the area, said the police had contacted them, seeking dental records.

Isaac Moody, a cousin, said the family had begun to fear the worst when they did not hear from him after the accident on Sunday. “When I didn’t get a call back I told everybody, ‘Look, something is wrong,’” he said.

While workers cleared the rubble and officials advised patience, the morning hinted at the summer of discontent that lies ahead: Some commuter trains were delayed, highway on- and offramps were clogged, neighborhood streets around the area were sluggish and commute times were growing.

“It’s a mess, man,” said Alex Tyndale, who runs a delivery company in Philadelphia.

Still, some found the drive to work Monday morning to be less awful than they had feared, with only moderate delays or in some cases no delay at all.

Many people may have opted to work from home on Monday. And some suggested that the response of officials — adding extra cars to commuter trains, arranging detours, offering free parking at some mass transit lots — helped.

“We all have very little faith in our city officials, because we pay a lot of taxes and they don’t tend to do very much,” said Sara Goldrick-Rab, 46, who lives a few minutes from the collapse. “But in this case, at least so far, it looks like they are mobilizing very fast.”

The accident on I-95, which runs the length of the East Coast from Maine to South Florida, left a section of the northbound side of the highway in a heap of ruins and heavily damaged a southbound section.

This stretch of the highway, in northeast Philadelphia near the Delaware River, is used by about 160,000 vehicles a day, officials said. But much of the interstate traffic traveling through the region already bypasses Philadelphia using the New Jersey Turnpike, which runs roughly parallel to I-95 east of the river and becomes I-95 farther north, on the way to New York City.

Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania said in a news conference on Sunday that he expected repairing the damaged section of the interstate to take months. He issued a “proclamation of disaster emergency” on Monday, making $7 million in state funds immediately available and making it easier to draw on federal funds.

A team of investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived in Philadelphia on Sunday and was expected to issue a preliminary report in two to three weeks, a spokesman said.

Across Philadelphia and its suburbs, Monday was full of strategizing, testing the detours suggested by officials and heeding the wisdom of local traffic reporters, who spent the morning breaking down different approaches to downtown like football coaches before the big game.

For some, particularly truck drivers, the situation was turning out to be precisely the nightmare that many had feared.

“We are absolutely going to suffer from this,” said Rick Slowicki, the president of Nonstop Couriers, a delivery company based in Philadelphia. The drivers for Mr. Slowicki’s company had already been experiencing delays on Monday, he said, and he was bracing for higher costs, longer journeys and more wear and tear on his vehicles. “Half of our deliveries go up and down 95.”

Many found that all of the detours, early departures and other preparations had apparently paid off, with commutes that were even easier than usual.

Tom Maroon, who runs a nonprofit, said that traffic was flowing more quickly than usual as he was driving to work on an undamaged stretch of I-95.

After he arrived at his office, though, Mr. Maroon found that many on his staff had not been as lucky. “One guy said his bus went one block in 12 minutes,” he said in a text message.

For the family of Nathan Moody, time seemed to stand completely still.

“We understand what’s happening, but it’s hard to accept,” his cousin Isaac Moody said.

Nate Moody had been happy at his job in recent years, Isaac said, after buying his own truck and abandoning long-haul routes so he could spend more time with his 7-year-old daughter. He had passed the exam allowing him to transport hazardous materials, and his truck was up-to-date on inspections, his cousin said. He was planning to take his little girl on a vacation in California this summer.

Anna Betts contributed reporting.