The state Highway Patrol, citing an initial report by Trooper A.A. Lucas, said physical evidence supports that the right front tire of a tractor-trailer driven by Randy Wine, 58, of Hanover, Pennsylvania, blew around 5 a.m.
The blowout caused Wine to lose control of the vehicle as team driver James W. Gilchrist, 61, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, slept in the rig's sleeper.
The rig rode the guardrail of the northbound Interstate 95 lane near the 165 mile marker until the rail gave way, the patrol said.
The rig went down an embankment, striking a tree. Gilchrist was ejected through the wall of the sleeper and died.
Wine was treated for minor injuries.
It is not clear why the tire blew, the patrol said, as there was no indication of tread wear.
Wine and Gilchrist were headed to a FedEx hub in Pennsylvania, back from a Florida run, when the tire blew.
