A 73-year-old Hays man was injured Tuesday after the dump truck he was driving overturned north of town.

Shortly before noon, Duane F. Klaus, an employee with M&D Excavating, was southbound on 240th Avenue near the road's intersection with 55th Street when his 1995 Volvo truck veered right, entered the west ditch and overturned onto its passenger side.

According to Sheriff Ed Harbin, Klaus lost control of the vehicle while reaching for a cell phone.

Klaus was taken to Hays Medical Center. Harbin said he was unaware of the extent of Klaus's injuries, and a spokesperson for Hays Medical Center said Wednesday that no patient with that name was being treated.

He reportedly was not wearing a seat belt.

He was transporting a load of gravel that spilled after the incident, but did not prove to be difficult to clean up.

"Basically, everything was contained right there by the truck," Harbin said.