Actor Ben Vereen Hit by Truck on Highway and Critically Hurt : Accident: He undergoes four hours of surgery for internal and head injuries and a fractured leg after being struck near his Malibu home.

Ben Vereen, Tony-winning dancer and television star, was in critical condition Tuesday after he was struck by a truck early Tuesday morning on a dark stretch of Pacific Coast Highway about two miles from his Malibu apartment.

Vereen, 45, suffered internal and head injuries and a broken left leg in the 2:45 a.m. accident. Richard Elbaum, a UCLA Medical Center spokesman said Vereen was in an intensive care unit Tuesday evening and “conscious and communicative” after undergoing four hours of surgery.

Friends and neighbors said Vereen often took long, pre-dawn walks from his residence on Point Dume. But one traffic investigator said he “had no idea” why the entertainer had been out walking on the pitch-dark highway near Seavista Drive at such an early hour.

Six hours before being injured, the entertainer crashed his Corvette into a tree while driving on Pacific Coast Highway and was taken to a sheriff’s station for sobriety tests, which he passed, Deputy Rich Erickson said.

Authorities said Vereen was released from the Lost Hills sheriff’s station shortly before midnight, adding that the two events appeared to be unrelated.

The driver of the Chevrolet Suburban that hit Vereen was traveling west near Sea View Drive and had just crested a hill on a curving, oceanside section of PCH when he saw the actor crossing the road, according to the Sherif’s Department.

The motorist slammed on his brakes and swerved to the right shoulder, but Vereen may have become confused, deputies said. “Unfortunately (he) ran in the same direction and was hit by the left front area of the Suburban,” said Deputy Irma Becerra.

The driver, whose identity was not released, was not injured and not cited pending the completion of an investigation.

On Tuesday afternoon, 45-yard-long skid marks were still visible on the roadway as traffic whisked past at 50 m.p.h.

“I don’t know what it was like out here last night, but June is notorious for fog,” said Deputy Patrick Hunter as he surveyed the accident site. Hunter said it is conceivable that Vereen may not have seen the truck headlights until the vehicle was very close.

Vereen’s agent, Lee Solomon, said Vereen had returned to Los Angeles last week from New York where he had been auditioning for stage shows.

Vereen and his wife, Nancy, have a home in New Jersey, Solomon said, adding that Nancy Vereen was on her way to Los Angeles from the East Coast on Tuesday afternoon to be with her husband.

Solomon noted that Vereen’s 16-year-old daughter was killed five years ago as she traveled on the New Jersey Turnpike near Newark International Airport, when a truck tipped over on her car and crushed her.

The loss of his daughter devastated Vereen, whose long career foundered while he recovered from his grief.

Vereen currently appears in the late-night CBS TV series “Silk Stalkings,” playing a grumpy detective. The show is on hiatus and is expected to return for a second season this fall. He recently appeared in the miniseries “Intruders” and was scheduled to appear at a June 20 benefit for homeless children in Thousand Oaks.

Vereen launched his show business career as a Broadway song-and-dance man and won a Tony for his role in “Pippin.” His other New York stage credits include “Sweet Charity,” “Hair” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

His name became widely known when he played the role of the sly Chicken George in the television miniseries “Roots.”

His film roles include “All That Jazz” and “Funny Lady.”