Newberry County, SC (WLTX) - Emergency crews say things are back to normal in Newberry County, following a tense several hours after a truck carrying explosive-grade materials overturned.
The truck crashed around 12:45 Tuesday afternoon on US 76 near Kinards. People within a half-mile area were evacuated.
The road was shut down for about six hours as crews cleared the scene.
The truck was carrying explosive grade ammonium nitrate and blasting caps for quarry operations. The vehicle also leaked diesel fuel.
Crews say they removed the blasting caps from the truck, ending the threat that the chemical could be triggered to explode.
Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster said the company transporting the materials obviously had a committment to proper procedure.
"The company followed all the safety rules, and that probably avoided a disaster," Foster said. "They had taken the measures required by law and they had actually gone just a little bit further to make sure when they're hauling the blasting caps along with the explosive product that it was safe, locked up and put to where it couldn't be jarred."
Investigators believe the truck went off the road when the shoulder gave way. The ground was apparently weakened by recent rains, according to Foster. He said the driver was obeying all traffic rules at the time of the incident.
The driver was taken to the hospital for treatment.