A tractor-trailer carrying a full load of garbage flipped onto its side at noon Monday, requiring a five-hour detour and cleanup at Rush Township's busiest intersection.

"I think the load just shifted," said the driver, an employee of J. P. Mascaro & Sons Waste Hauling of Allentown."I looked in the rear view mirror and could see the whole thing tilting. I just held on to the steering wheel."The driver was held in place by his seat belt shoulder strap. After the cab came to rest on its side, the driver climbed through the door and was helped to the ground by patrons of local restaurants.The truck was on its way to Hegins, according to the driver.The incident took place at the Five Points intersection, the junction of Claremont Avenue, or Route 309, Mahanoy Avenue, or Route 54, and Lincoln Drive.The driver theorized that waste foam that had been loaded at the bottom of the trailer might have led to the shift in cargo.Debris was dumped partially on the roadway and partially onto the front lawn of Hometown McDonald's restaurant.In addition, a small amount of fluid, initially thought to be gasoline, was seen leaking from the truck.However, it turned out the truck carried diesel fuel and the liquid was believed to be hydraulic fluid from the brake system, responders said.Fire police from Hometown and Quakake fire companies worked various locations throughout the afternoon, detouring east and westbound traffic around Mahanoy Avenue.A front-end loader was used to move and load debris.Additional tow trucks from Hope's Collision and Towing in Tamaqua, righted the tractor-trailer about 5 p.m.