"It's not salvageable," said Mihalik, 19. "But it's definitely souvenir-able."

He probably doesn't need a keepsake to remember the night before: An unmarked Cary police vehicle careened off the road, smacking into his family's Pond Street home, puncturing its brick foundation and rendering it uninhabitable.

It happened about 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the state Highway Patrol, which investigated the incident.

Senior Police Officer Mike Smith was in an unmarked Chevy Tahoe on SW Maynard Road when he clocked a driver traveling more than 50 mph in a 35-mph zone. Smith turned around to catch up to the speeder, but the wet road caused Smith to lose control of the vehicle, said Trooper C. J. Alston. Smith suffered a concussion and cuts to the face, Cary police said.

"I'm just thankful we weren't living there," said Tim Robinson, Mihalik's stepdad.

He and his wife Helen Mihalik Robinson were planning to sell the home. They had been renovating the room that was hit. "At least the crown molding held up," she said flatly.

Cary insurance representatives have contacted the family, and the town says it is conducting an internal review of the incident, per standard procedure.

"It'll cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair," Tim Robinson said.

During the renovations, and when the wreck happened, the family was staying at another home off of Cary Parkway.

Tire tracks cross the sidewalk along Maynard Road then into the yard, between two trees, to the point of impact: 1101 Pond St.

Outside, the damage appeared contained to a 15-square-foot hole in the left corner of the brick home.

Inside, walls were cracked in rooms on both stories above the impact.

Upstairs, the hardwood floor in that corner sagged below the rest of the room.

The home was pushed a half inch off of its foundation in the back.

After the crash, a town inspector had taped a sign to the front door marking the building unsafe for habitation, due in part to several unsupported joists resulting from the collision.

"As long as they fix it, that's all we care about," Tim Robinson said. Police called the family early Thursday morning before they could turn on the TV to see scenes of the smashed-up vehicle in their yard.

"When my daughter heard about it, she started crying," Helen Mihalik Robinson said.

Eight-year-old Cheyenne wanted assurance that her Barbie dolls, which were kept in the room that bore the brunt of the impact, were all right.

They were.

"I just wanted to make sure he was OK," Helen Mihalik Robinson said.

Smith was released from the hospital on Thursday.

He was expected to return to duty soon, unless his injuries warranted leave, said Cary Deputy Chief Barry Nickalson.

Staff writers Jack Hagel and Leah Friedman contributed to this report.