Nuclear Waste Truck Overturns on I-81

By Sarah Buynovsky
7:09 PM EDT, September 23, 2009

There was a bit of a scare Wednesday on I-81 in Luzerne County. A truck carrying material from a nuclear facility overturned on the interstate.

The truck overturned around 5 a.m. in Butler Township and crews were still working to safely clean up the mess 12 hours later.

The driver wasn't hurt, but the contents of the truck spilled all over, causing concern.

"The problem that we have is it's coming from a decommissioned nuclear facility that was owned by the department of energy," said Stephen Bekanich of Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency.

Using a meter, emergency officials said they found only low levels of radiation in the debris but they worried that cleanup could release higher levels of radiation, so they called in experts to help.

"We have folks coming in who deal with this and who are actually coming from the facility to provide us some guidance and make sure whatever material is there is safe for the enviornment and for the people and doesn't pose any problem for anyone who lives or works in the immediate area," explained Bekanich.

He added luckily, his crew is used to dealing with nuclear issues, thanks to the power plant in Salem Township.

He said he is regularly alerted when nuclear waste is transported through the county so he is prepared for situations like this one.

"We're very accustomed to dealing with radiation. We're accustomed to the terminology and how to make sure the area is okay, so you know, that's a plus for us," Bekanich said.

The cleanup started late Wednesday afternoon and was expected to wrap up by early evening.

Everything and everyone is okay after that crash.

http://www.wnep.com/wnep-luz-nuclear-waste-truck-overturns,0,7472710.story