Morgan Freeman had been airlifted to a hospital in Memphis Monday after being injured in a car crash and was in “high spirits” awaiting surgery, his publicist said, confirming after the procedure that he was “doing well.”

“The Dark Knight” has been associated with great news confirming one record break after another in what concerns its evolution at the box office, as well as one scary report after another regarding its stars….

The sad premature demise of Heath Ledger in January, months before the film would be released… Christian Bale’s surprising arrest in London while he was promoting the very recently-released film in late July… and now Morgan Freeman’s accident on a Mississippi highway.

The Academy Award-winning actor was driving Sunday night east on state Highway 32 in Ruleville when he lost control of the 1997 Nissan Maxima he was driving. He overcorrected, which caused the car to flip several times. It finally rested right side up.

Freeman was in the vehicle with Demaris Meyer, to whom the car belonged. The accident occurred at around 11:30 p.m.

Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman Ben Williams told E! News the crash was “just a typical accident,” with typical factors: “on a dark road, it was late,” with “this portion of the highway [being] rural.”

Williams confirmed both Freeman, 71, and Meyer, whom police believe to be in her fifties, were wearing seatbelts. No alcohol appears to have been involved.

“I think it’s safe to say no charges are planned,” Williams told E! News.

While the legal part of the accident seems to have been settled, with one worry less for Morgan Freeman, the medical aspect continues. The actor and his passenger were airlifted to the Regional Medical Center in Memphis, some 90 miles north of the scene of the accident.

No details were initially available regarding the nature or gravity of injuries sustained but it was later revealed he had fractured his arm, elbow and had a “minor shoulder damage,” spokeswoman Donna Lee told People magazine Monday, adding that he was “in good spirits.”

“He says he’ll be okay and is looking forward to a full recovery,” Lee said, thus assuaging fears that the septuagenarian actor was in serious condition.

Lee brought additional information Tuesday, regarding the actor’s well-being following surgery. She said Morgan Freeman was “doing well” after undergoing surgery Monday night “to reconnect nerves and repair damage in his left arm and hand.”

The surgery lasted some four and a half hours and the following morning he was already receiving visits from his family, the spokeswoman said. “As of this morning he’s up and walking around and looking forward to his release in a few days,” she concluded.

There had been good signs from the get-go, since both Freeman and Meyer were conscious and coherent when the rescue team extracted them from the mangled car with the jaws of life. The actor even made jokes, Williams said.

Clay McFerrin, editor of the Sun Sentinel in nearby Charleston, Miss., was present at the scene soon after the car had crashed and later recounted how Morgan Freeman was humorously telling standers-by, “No freebies, no freebies,” as some (inelegantly) pulled out their camera phones.

There were also reports that Freeman may have fallen asleep at the wheel, which led to the accident, but this has not been officially confirmed so far.

Freeman, who has a home with wife Myrna in Charleston, about 4 miles from the accident scene, currently co-stars in the stellar “The Dark Knight,” as Lucius Fox.