photo by: Jeff Cuttell/Journal-World photo

A semitrailer in the westbound lane of 23rd Street near Louisiana Street suffered a malfunction on Wednesday afternoon, causing cans of beer to spill onto the roadway.

Updated at 4 p.m. Wednesday

A semitrailer suffered a malfunction Wednesday that led to lots of cans of beer spilling onto 23rd Street.

The incident on 23rd Street near Louisiana Street caused a midday backup of vehicles in the westbound lane of 23rd Street, as traffic was reduced to one lane in the area.

photo by: Contributed

A semitrailer carrying beer dumped part of its load near 23rd and Louisiana streets Wednesday.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the malfunction, but the front wall of the semitrailer appeared to be split open, allowing the beer cans to slide out the front of the trailer and onto the roadway.

According to Kevin O’Malley, of O’Malley Beverage, the truck — operated by a contractor and not O’Malley Beverage — was carrying a load from Anheuser-Busch.

O’Malley told the Journal-World it was his understanding that the driver made a normal stop at the light, and the front of the trailer came off.

The Journal-World has sought additional information from the Lawrence Police Department about the incident.