Both lanes of SR54 was closed for over five hours in Ryan and Mahanoy Township Friday night into Saturday after a tractor trailer, being driven south by David Somers, Tremont, of D&R Logging, Hegins, lost control, slid on the guardrail and then overturned, spilling his load of woodchips all over the road.

Woodchips, which were also scattered over 20 feet into the adjacent woods, may be used as a biomass solid fuel and sometimes saturated with fuel.Somers was taken via ambulance to the Pottsville Hospital with non-serious injuries to his head. Responding in addition to Rush, Ryan and Mahanoy Township police, were Mahanoy Police and fire companies. Firefighters also placed soaking bladders to stop the flow of gas that was leaking from the truck. Patrolman Brandon Sullivan, Mahanoy Towship, is the investigating officer. Delano fire police detoured traffic for the duration.