Sunday's Internet Edition, September 07, 2008.

The mishap occurred last Wednesday morning near the 26-mile marker, one mile north of the Amma interchange.

According to State Police spokesman Sgt. Kenneth McCord, Trooper J.S Crane of the South Charleston detachment was dispatched at 10:30 a.m. to reports of a rollover into the southbound lanes. Two civilian employees for a government contractor were transporting hazardous material from Kanawha County to Camp Dawson, near Kingwood, in the back of a pickup truck.

The driver of the truck lost control and entered the median before the truck overturned and skidded on its top into the southbound lane.

When the truck overturned, two 60-gallon drums containing solid radioactive material were thrown from the vehicle.

After the accident, McCord said the drums and the area around the crash were tested for traces of leakage or spillage. All the tests resulted in no findings of the hazardous material. Southbound traffic was reduced to a single lane for approximately two hours during the process.

McCord said the material was properly packaged and being transported according to guidelines for hazardous materials. The material was transferred to another vehicle and removed from the scene.

The driver and passenger were transported by ambulance to CAMC General Hospital in Charleston with complaints of minor pain.

McCord said due to the nature of the material being transported and the governmental agency involvement, the names of the driver and passenger were not being released.

The driver was cited for exceeding a safe speed for road conditions. McCord said the interstate was wet and slippery from morning snow showers.