It could have been much worse, but the combination of an effective emergency response plan and what can only be called acts of God prevented an environmental nightmare when a tanker truck carrying a toxic chemical overturned on Union Avenue Wednesday afternoon.

The tanker was traveling down Union Avenue toward the North Boroughs about 3 p.m. when the driver attempted to turn onto the I-279 southbound on-ramp. Officials believe several tires hit a rut beside the ramp, the driver overcompensated, and the tanker flipped.