Police: Man Smoked Pot, Crashed Car into Pole

A 22-year-old Phoenixville man was arrested last week after he crashed his car into a utility pole while he was intoxicated, are reporting.

Andrew Salvitti stands charged with careless driving and driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance.

According to court documents, on August 19 at 11:08 p.m., an East Pikeland police officer was dispatched to a one-car accident on Coldstream Road. When he arrived at the scene, he saw a white Suburu Legacy crashed into a utility pole. Both the vehicle and the pole were badly damaged.

Salvitti, the driver and the vehicles’ sole occupant, explained to the officer that he was turning right from Township Line Road onto Coldstream when his phone slid from his lap onto the floor. He reached for it, and at that point lost control and hit the pole. The man said his right eye hurt from the airbag deployment, but was otherwise uninjured.

The officer noticed Salvitti and his car both smelled like marijuana. Confronted with this suspicion, the man admitted to having taken “a couple hits” earlier. He later added that he was still feeling the drug’s effects even after the accident.

Salvitti failed a subsequent field sobriety test and was placed under arrest. His blood was drawn for testing at and he was released to his parents.