CLEARFIELD TWP — A wayward deer is blamed for a crash early this morning that injured a trucker and closed all four lanes of Route 422 for several hours.

The highway near the Butler-Armstrong County line was turned into a metal debris field just before 3:30 a.m. when a westbound tractor-trailer hauling scrap steel overturned.

“The driver swerved to miss a deer and his loaded tipped over,” said Chief Kevin Hesidenz of the East Butler Volunteer Fire Department.

The rig with the name of a Cresson, Cambria County, company on it ended on its side stretched across lanes in each direction.

The deer was hit and killed.

The truck driver, believed to be in his 60s, suffered what appeared to be minor injuries. He was taken by ambulance to ACMH Hospital near Kittanning.

“There’s a lot of scrap on the road,” Hesidenz reported from the scene more than two hours after the wreck.

The road was shut down in both directions, between Cornetti Road and Old Route 422, to allow for crews to come in and right the rig and gather up the scrap.

Officials did not expect the road to reopen for traffic until after 9 a.m.

Assisting police and East Butler VFD were firefighters from Herman and Chicora in Butler County and Worthington in Armstrong County.