Morgan Freeman breaks arm in car crash

MEMPHIS, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- A Memphis hospital reported actor Morgan Freeman was in serious condition Monday with injuries he suffered in a northern Mississippi car crash.

The 1997 Nissan Maxima that Freeman was driving left Mississippi Highway 32 in Tallahatchie County and flipped several times Sunday night, Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman Ben Williams was quoted by WMC-TV, Memphis, as saying.

The Academy Award-winning actor and a female passenger were extracted from the wreckage with the jaws of life and airlifted to Memphis' Regional Medical Center, WMC-TV said.

Freeman, a native of Memphis, plays Lucius Fox in the blockbuster film, "The Dark Knight," and won an Oscar for his supporting role in the 2004 Clint Eastwood drama, "Million Dollar Baby."

"He has a broken arm, broken elbow and minor shoulder damage but he is in good spirits," Freeman's publicist Donna Lee said in a statement issued to People magazine Monday afternoon. "He is going to have surgery this afternoon or tomorrow to correct the damage. He says he'll be okay and is looking forward to a full recovery."

Police told People that Freeman's passenger has been identified as Demaris Meyer.

TMZ.com said the car Freeman was driving belonged to Meyer, a woman one source described as a close friend of the actor's wife, Myrna.

Meyer was treated for her injuries and left a hospital, TMZ.com said.