A neighbor of the South Jersey trucker killed in the I-95 collapse in Philadelphia has launched an online fundraiser to benefit the victim’s family.
Fund organizer Alex Harcharek of Merchantville said contributions will help Theresa Baylock, whom she described as the partner of the trucker, 53-year-old Nathan “Nate” Moody.
Baylock also is the mother of the youngest of Moody’s three children, a 7-year-old daughter.
The GoFundMe campaign had raised more than $25,000 by Saturday morning.
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“As his neighbors and fellow Merchantville community members, we’re raising funds to support Nate’s family as they process and cope with this unimaginable loss,” Harcharek wrote in her appeal. “Please give whatever you can — a donation, a re-share, kind words or a prayer.”
Donors’ messages to Nate Moody
“Nate was a father of three, a veteran, and a hardworking, devoted family man who leaves behind many people who loved him,” Harcharek said.
She said she enjoyed seeing Moody doting on his daughter after school and hopes the girl will grow up “knowing how very loved she was and still is.”
David Shaffer mentioned a common bond as a trucker with his donation:
“When we as drivers start this career, we know it is dangerous but never think it will happen to us or our loved ones,” he wrote. “Just know that drivers all over the nation have you and yours in their thoughts and prayers.”
Melicia Moody said she will love her truck driver relative “always and forever,” and quoted poet Maya Angelou:
“A great soul serves everyone all the time. A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.”
Moody, described by family as a safety-conscious driver, worked out of TK Transport, a trucking terminal in Pennsauken and an affiliate of interstate hauler Penn Tank Lines.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigators visited Penn Tank Lines in Chester Springs.
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Moody was driving a gasoline tanker truck that hit an exit ramp wall on I-95 near Cottman Avenue. The truck overturned and exploded into flames, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
The interstate’s four northbound lanes collapsed and the southbound lanes suffered structural damage. The roadway is closed for a reconstruction project that’s expected to take several months.
Carol Comegno loves telling stories about South Jersey life, history and military veterans for the Courier Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. If you have a story to share, call her at 856-486-2473 or email ccomegno@gannettnj.com.
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