BEATRICE – A rollover accident sent a Beatrice man to the hospital Wednesday.  It happened at the intersection of U.S. Highway 77 and Sargent Road, in north Beatrice.  

Beatrice Police Sergeant Wes Henning says a car went across a median, crashing off the east side of the divided roadway.
"It appears he was going southbound and crossed the median, drove in the northbound lanes southbound for a period of time....then hopped the curb on the east side of the two-lane, hit a fire hydrant and then rolled over."

The driver….59-year-old James Boyer, of Beatrice was in the overturned car when police and firefighters arrived.  He was transported to Beatrice Community Hospital.  He suffered head and facial injuries. The car sheared off a fire hydrant at the northeast corner of the intersection, before overturning on its top.  No other vehicles were involved in the accident.

Police said a witness indicated that the southbound Chrysler Sebring went onto the median, returned back to the roadway and then went onto the median a second time, crossing the northbound lanes off the east side of U.S. 77, where it struck the fire hydrant and flipped over, hitting a utility pole.

The accident, happening just after four p.m., slowed northbound traffic on the highway for a short time, but traffic continued moving in both directions.  There was light to moderate rain falling at the time of the mishap.