Pembroke Pines Officer In ICU After Crash

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A Pembroke Pines police officer is in intensive care at Memorial Regional Hospital after he was involved in a car crash while on the job.

It was a crash so violent, the officers mangled SUV and the debris in the roadway told the story.

The front of the marked Pembroke Pines police SUV was smashed, pitching the vehicle forward on a sidewalk. The Jeep Cherokee it appeared to have t-boned, rested on its side, its passenger side caved in.

The SUV driver, Brandon Ward and 19 year police veteran Ben Burke were transported to the hospital. Both were stable. Ward was released a few hours later. Burke remains hospitalized.

Captain Al Xiques met with Burke and says he is expected to survive, though he may need surgery. He's is in stable condition but he experienced significant injuries.

Fellow officers have been trickling into the ICU to visit Burke who was the 1998 police officer of the year in Pembroke Pines.

"He's a wonderful police officer and it's a huge impact to our entire agency and the community for him to have been injured in the crash," said Xiques.

CLICK HERE to watch Natalia Zea's report

Police are still investigating this wreck. Police say Burke was heading East on Pines Boulevard when he hit Ward at the intersection of Douglas Road.

"We do know there was an independent witness who provided information to the investigators on the scene which is how they were able to determine that the officer did travel through the intersection while having a solid green light," said Xiques.

However the incident commanders on the scene told CBS4 News the sole independent witness did not see the accident - he said he only heard it.

CBS4 reporter Natalia Zea asked Xiques about that to which he responded, "I don't have that information it would be speculation at that point, all I can give you is what I've already stated."

Burke was on duty during this crash, though police don't know whether he was responding to a call. They say his lights and sirens were not engaged during the crash.

Burke is married and has two teenage daughters. His family has asked few details about his condition be released as they help him to recover.

The department's preliminary investigation unto the crash has revealed that alcohol appears to have been a factor.