Friends and family will gather tonight to remember a beloved Bessemer barber and father who was killed when his vehicle crashed into a large piece of industrial equipment that was dropped in the middle of Interstate 59/20.

Terence Bernard Summers Jr., a 24-year-old father of three young children, was killed during the lunch hour on March 18, on I-59/20 near Academy Drive and the Alabama Adventure exit.

Summers is believed to have possibly struck a sawmill blade that took up more than one lane of the interstate.

A candlelight vigil will be held in memory of Summers tonight, ahead of his funeral which is set for Saturday.

In addition to grieving the loss of their loved one, the Summers family, as well as Bessemer police, are now trying to find out who dropped the equipment.

“This isn’t your typical somebody throwing a cup out the window, or a cigarette,‘’ said family attorney Lee Wendell Loder.

“This is a major commercial piece of equipment that’s not possible to lose without being aware it’s gone.”

“There is a dangerous and reckless driver that is still out there on the road and apparently believes he or she may be able to get away with this just by laying low and that’s an extreme concern for something as dangerous as what he deposited in the street,‘’ Loder said.

The wreck happened at 12:40 p.m. that Tuesday on I-59/20 near Academy Drive

Summers was taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 2:12 p.m.

“It has been extremely hard for his family,‘’ Loder said. “That’s why some element of closure is extremely important to them.”

“He and his father especially had an extremely special bond,‘’ Loder said. “It’s been very difficult.”

Summers loved his family and his job as a barber.

“That was one of his passions,‘’ Loder said. “And we know barbers are typically stronghold in the community – consultants, advisors and everything else.”

Bessemer police are leading the investigation, and the Summers family has also hired a private investigator to assist.

“There is a growing consensus that the piece was a blade from a sawmill, to cut trees down into lumber. It likely was maybe be transported to be serviced,‘’ Loder said. “There are about three or four different places in Birmingham that service those type blades.”

Other motorists have reported having to dodge the equipment and calling 911 just moments before Summers struck the object.

“Something that large couldn’t have been out there that long without multiple calls being made,‘’ Loder said. “It covered one entire lane and butted into another lane – you’re talking about a piece that covered almost the entire highway.”

“I’ve spoken to people who had to drive on the grass in order to get around it,‘’ he said.

 The family will hold a candlelight vigil at Faith Memorial Chapel tonight following a 5 p.m. press conference with Loder and the family.

His funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, also at Faith Memorial.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call Bessemer police Officer L. Baswell at 205-425-2411 or contact him via email at [email protected].