As it burned, the vehicle sat on the hillside of the northbound ramp that feeds from the road to the highway and also passes in front of the Innkeeper motel and parking lot.

The cause of what happened remains under investigation, state Crime Control & Public Safety spokeswoman Renee Hoffman said.

The name of the trooper wasn't available Monday night. But Hoffman said an initial examination at the hospital showed he didn't suffer life-threatening injuries.

The ramp was closed to traffic as accident scene experts examined the vehicle, which was facing uphill at a northeasterly angle, and they also looked at a nearby backhoe.

This isn't the first time this year that a trooper has been involved in a mishap in the Bull City. In March, Jerry Brand underwent surgery at Duke University Hospital after sustaining two broken legs and a broken arm after losing control of his cruiser as it approached the intersection of Angier Avenue and Tyonek Drive.

He was chasing a green Honda Accord that had turned away from a driver's-license checkpoint Brand, 40, and another trooper set up on East Pettigrew Street.