Oregon Public Broadcasting

Investigators were checking Tuesday on a dangerous crash near La Grande. A semi carrying tons of low-level radioactive cargo jack-knifed on the freeway Monday. Ethan Lindsey reports.

The truck was shipping low-level radioactive waste from hospitals around the country -- to a waste treatment plant in Richland, Washington. That’s according to company officials.

Police say the driver lost control on the icy road, and collided with a rock wall.

The La Grande Fire Department hazardous materials team responded. They’ve determined there wasn't radiation leak.

The truck is operated out of Tennessee by Philotechnics, which transports waste for Perma-Fix Environmental.

Louis Centofanti is the CEO of Perma-Fix.

Lou Centofanti: “We’re always very concerned about something like this. And we’re very pleased that it very seldom happens.”

Centofanti says he doesn’t know exactly what the truck was carrying. But says low-level hospital waste includes things like vials of radioactive iodine used in thyroid tests.

The Perma-Fix Richland facility was just cited in October by the Department of Energy for a contamination incident.