The truck was carrying uranium hexafluoride, which is a substance used to make fuel for nuclear power plants.
A tractor-trailer carrying radioactive uranium crashed into a van on I-95, a busy North Carolina highway, causing massive delays and closures on Wednesday.
Drivers were evacuated from the scene by the local highway patrol. No injuries were reported.
Emergency units were called to the scene about 12:15 p.m. near mile marker 57 near Goldsboro Road, when reports of a crash involving the tractor-trailer, a commercial vehicle, and a passenger van collided along I-95 highway in Cumberland County, N.C., according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
The truck was carrying uranium hexafluoride, which is a substance used to make fuel for nuclear power plants, the Hill reported.
A State Department of Transportation spokesperson said the crash is not believed to be a threat since there was no leak or cause any other kind of contamination, The Hill reported.
"Radiation presents minimal risk to transport workers, emergency response personnel, and the public during transportation accidents," according to the National Institute of Health's (NIH) website The Fayetteville Observer reported.
Hours later, a team of five from the North Carolina Regional Hazardous Materials arrived dressed in hazmat suits and worked to clear the containers off the road. A Puryear tow-truck with a crane-like apparatus then placed the loose containers back onto the storage trailer from where they had fallen. One of the containers was reported to be dented with black skid marks, according to The Observer.
By 4:30 p.m. all lanes were reopened, the North Carolina Department of Transportation said.
The area where the incident occurred is an active work zone. The case of the crash remains under investigation, a report said.
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