Officer extricated from cruiser after hitting cement pole

WEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) -- A Miami-Dade School Police officer is recovering at Jackson Memorial Hospital after his cruiser struck a cement utility pole early Wednesday.

Miami-Dade Police and Fire Rescue raced to the rescue of 37-year-old Ivan Silva near the intersection of Southwest 8th Street and 117th Avenue, at around 3:30 a.m. "There was a Miami-Dade School Board Police officer heading northbound on the Florida Turnpike, exiting to eastbound Southwest 8th Street," said Florida Highway Patrol Lieutenant Pat Santangelo. "For some reason, the vehicle slipped off the roadway, and the driver lost control."

Santangelo blames the roadway's condition for the wipe-out. "According to the sergeant we had doing the traffic crash investigation, he indicated that the road in the area was slippery," said the lieutenant.

After being pinned by the driver's side door for an extensive period of time, rescuers extricated Silva from his vehicle using the jaws of life. Paramedics transported the deputy to JMH via air rescue in what an official described as "very, very serious" condition, though a Miami-Dade Police official said the officer has since been downgraded to stable condition.

Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the accident.

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