Officials in Shelby County say a Nebraska man was injured when the semi he was driving rolled into a ditch Wednesday evening. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office says 69-year old Roger Cooley, of Valley, NE was traveling in a 2005 Freightliner eastbound on Highway 44 near Ironwood Road at around 6:15-p.m., when he lost control of the rig, which traveled into the south ditch and came to rest on its side. The semi was hauling a load of coal, which spilled into a waterway along with diesel fuel, which spilled from one of the crushed tanks on the semi’s tractor.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources was called to the scene and ordered a cleanup of the water way and soil. Highway 44 was closed while the clean-up efforts were underway, and traffic was re-routed. Cooley was transported to Myrtue Memorial Hospital for treatment, and later released. Both the tractor and trailer were estimated to be a total loss. The Harlan Fire Department assisted the Shelby County Sheriff’s at the accident scene.