ARLINGTON, Texas -- A police officer was hospitalized with second-degree burns on Friday after his patrol car exploded when it was hit by a sport utility vehicle driven by a suspected drunken driver.

Officer Michael Moses, 30, had just pulled over a vehicle on Interstate 30 when his Ford Crown Victoria patrol car was struck from behind. He was listed in serious but stable condition at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas on Friday afternoon.

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Arlington Cruiser Catches Fire

Ricky Alan Cantrell, the sport utility vehicle's 21-year-old driver, was arrested on two counts of suspicion of intoxication assault and was being held on $50,000 bail at the Arlington City Jail. He suffered minor injuries.

His 23-year-old wife, Claire Cantrell, was also in serious but stable condition at Parkland.

Several motorists, including two off-duty police officers, helped pull Moses from the burning car.

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Since 1983, at least 18 police officers have died after their cars were hit from behind and the gas tanks burst into flames.

All 146 of Arlington's patrol cars are fitted with gas tank shields, which Ford recommended in response to the string of fiery crashes. Moses' 2003 Crown Victoria was one of 40 in the fleet that had a factory-installed shield.

Ford spokeswoman Kristen Kinley said dozens of Crown Victoria patrol cars are struck from behind each year with no resulting fire.

"As long as there are drunk drivers and people speeding, there's no way to completely ensure that there will be no crashes and fires," she told The Dallas Morning News. "It's not the vehicle. It's the nature of the work that police do."