This information is preliminary and subject to change. Release date: 29 June 2023
On Sunday, June 11, 2023, about 6:17 a.m. eastern daylight time, a 2017 International truck-tractor in combination with a 2004 Heil Specification Package 406 tank-trailer (combination vehicle), operated by a 53-year-old driver, was exiting Interstate 95 (I-95) northbound on the Cottman Avenue off-ramp in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At this location, I-95 was an eight-lane divided highway with four lanes each in the northbound and southbound directions.
The combination vehicle, operated by an affiliate carrier leased to Penn Tank Lines, was transporting about 8,500 gallons of gasoline from Wilmington, Delaware, to a gas station located on Oxford Avenue in Philadelphia. The posted speed limit on I-95 in the vicinity of the crash was 55 mph, and the Cottman Avenue off-ramp was posted with a 25-mph speed limit and truck rollover warning sign.
The truck driver was unable to maintain control of the combination vehicle on the off-ramp. The truck rolled over and subsequently caught fire under the northbound lanes of the I-95 overpass.
As a result of the rollover and subsequent fire, the driver was fatally injured. The fire caused the northbound lanes of I-95 to collapse onto the Cottman Avenue off-ramp. The southbound lanes of I-95 were significantly damaged by the fire.
Parties to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation include:
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- Pennsylvania State Police
- Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
- City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
All aspects of the crash remain under investigation while the NTSB determines the probable cause, with the intent of issuing safety recommendations to prevent similar events.
