A Bessemer family gathered Wednesday the 18th to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the passing of a beloved son, father, and friend. One year after the death of Terence Bernard Summers, Jr., known to loved ones as Terry, the pain is still fresh; however, the family is also seeking accountability. Summers, a well-known and liked barber in Bessemer and a father of three, died March 18, 2025, on his way to work. According to investigators, his vehicle struck a large metal chain on the road near Academy Drive and Exit 108, leading to a life-ending crash.
At his gravesite Wednesday, family and friends remembered not only how he died, but how he lived. His father, Terrence Summers, Sr., spoke about the values his son lived by: “He didn’t like hanging in the streets. He knew what the streets caused. Family was important. You can get mad at family and whatever, but family was important and he lived that. He showed that. He moved like that. That’s what he did. That’s my boy. That’s my boy,” Summers said.
Loved ones say Summers left home that day to work and provide for his three young sons, but he never made it to the job. “I heard it from his best friend… that he wasn’t even supposed to leave the house that day,” Summers said. His father also spoke about the intensity of the crash and the resilience his son showed in his final hours. “He fought… flipped over five to six times, ejected from the car, and was still able to fight for two hours. He’s a fighter. I’m so proud of him,” Summers said.
A year later, the family is fighting for him. They have filed a lawsuit against The Westervelt Company Inc. and Extreme Recycling LLC., alleging the companies are responsible for the conditions that led to Summers’ death. The family says additional defendants could be named as the case progresses. Asked what they hope to gain from the legal fight, Summers’ father gave a succinct answer: “Just somebody to pay for what happened to my son because he got taken away from us.”
