A triaxle dump truck crashed into a tree Monday afternoon as it was climbing the Route 209 hill near the Wash Shanty Curve in Nesquehoning, disrupting traffic for several hours.

Nesquehoning Chief of Police Shawn Smith said the driver told him a front tire blew, causing him to lose control of the truck.The truck, owned by C. Bird Jr. Trucking of Weatherly, left the right side of the highway and struck a large tree, causing major damage to the truck cab and injuring the driver.The driver, whose identity was not available this morning, was freed by members of the Nesquehoning and New Columbus fire departments.The crash happened shortly after 1 p.m. and the scene wasn't cleared for over 2 1/2 hours, causing major traffic problems on Route 209.Fire police attempted to keep one lane of the highway open, especially since it was at the time when Panther Valley schools were dismissing.The highway was closed when the truck was pulled from the tree by a tow truck from Schlier's Towing in Franklin Township. Schlier's was the second towing service dispatched. The first tow truck wasn't powerful enough to pull the large vehicle from the point of impact.The driver, who sustained minor injuries, was taken to the hospital by Lehighton Ambulance.Smith said the driver told him he was traveling about 55 mph at the time the crash occurred.The investigation is continuing.