FORWARD TOWNSHIP, Pa. --
A hazardous materials team was called to the scene of an overturned tanker truck that was carrying sodium hydroxide in Forward Township, Allegheny County.
Bunola River Road has since reopened, but was closed after the crash in the 200 block on Thursday morning.
The driver "pretty much had minor injuries," said Alvin Henderson Jr. of Allegheny County EMS. "He was trapped in the truck. Firefighters used the jaws of life to cut him out of the truck, and then transported by helicopter to the hospital."
The tanker ended up lying on its side on some train tracks. EMS said the tank suffered a slow leak, losing about 55 gallons of chemical.
"Nothing on the roadway, nothing to the river," said Henderson. "We're still monitoring everything to be sure of that, but every indication is that it was self-contained at the accident site."
Bunola River Road is a thoroughfare that links Monessen and Elizabeth Borough. The crash happened on a stretch that is sparsely residential and has less than a dozen heavy industrial businesses.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
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