Rollover crash halts I-40 traffic

A rollover crash Thursday morning that left a Lebanon man in serious condition had Interstate-40 traffic at a standstill.

Lebanon police Officer Steve Green was one of the first on the scene in the construction zone between Beckwith Road and Highway 109.

"It was a pretty bad one," Green said of the crash. "We got the call just as I was coming on shift at 9 a.m. of a rollover in the westbound lanes at the 231 mile marker."

He said the wreck was a single-car crash.

"The vehicle was a 2010 Lexus driven by George Summer, Jr., 68, of Lebanon," Green added. "It was an hour to an hour and a half before traffic got moving again.

"According to witnesses, he veered off the road, the vehicle flipped several times and when it came to a stop, the top of it was peeled off like a banana peel. He suffered a severe cut to the head and was sent by Lifeflight to Vanderbilt."

Summer was wearing a seatbelt.

"If he hadn't been wearing a seatbelt, I can guarantee you he wouldn't be here now," he said.

Officers are still investigating possible causes for the accident.

"There are no indications that drugs or alcohol were a factor in the wreck. He could have fallen asleep or had a medical situation," Green said. "I spoke to his wife around 11 a.m., and he was being taken into the trauma unit at Vanderbilt. I'm happy he made it."

Staff writer Mary Hinds may be reached at 615-444-3952, ext. 45 or maryhinds@lebanondemocrat.com.