Watch CBS News

Driver Arrested Months After Being Rescued From Burning Car In Westtown Township

Follow CBSPHILLY Facebook  | Twitter

WESTTOWN TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) -- A driver is now facing charges months after a daring rescue in Westtown Township.

It happened in March when a driver smashed into several parked cars in the Saints Simon and Jude Schools parking lot.

UPDATE: The Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department would like to thank all of the brave individuals who came to the assistance of the driver who was involved in the crash. As noted in the original news release, the individual was trapped underneath his vehicle that was on fire. Faculty members of the Saints Simon and Jude School were able to use numerous fire extinguishers to keep the fire from spreading until the driver could be extricated from beneath the vehicle. Additionally, numerous citizens came to the aid of officers in rolling the vehicle off of the driver. Without their assistance, the incident could have ended in a tragic manner. It is our sincere hope that we will be able to identify those individuals who assisted at the scene and thank them for their compassionate and heroic actions. Although the police department rarely releases video footage from our vehicle's mobile video recording, we wanted to share the courageous actions of the individuals (both officers and civilians) who responded to the scene that day. March 14, 2018-PRESS RELEASE MAJOR CRASH INVESTIGATION IN THE 1500 BLOCK OF WEST CHESTER PIKE, WESTTOWN TOWNSHIP, WILL IMPACT THE EVENING COMMUTE On Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at 1:21 PM the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department responded to a serious motor vehicle accident at the intersection of Rt. 3 and Rt. 352 in Westtown Township, Chester County. Witnesses reported that a vehicle crashed into several parked vehicles in the parking lot of Saints Simon and Jude Church and that a vehicle was overturned and on fire. Police arrived on scene and found one vehicle overturned and on fire. The male driver, who suffered moderate injuries, was trapped under the vehicle, and police were able to push the vehicle over and off of the driver. This individual was treated at the scene by EMS and transported to Paoli Hospital. Early indicators show that this individual drove a white Honda CR-V at high speed, westbound on West Chester Pike and lost control. The vehicle struck the center median, crossed the eastbound lanes of West Chester Pike and then went airborne into the parking lot of Saints Simon and Jude School which was in session. The white Honda struck several parked and unoccupied vehicles. One parked vehicle was hit so hard by the white Honda that it traveled forward, striking the school building. No school students or staff were injured as a result of this accident. The crash scene is being investigated by the Traffic Safety Unit and Criminal Investigation Division. Additional details will be provided after the scene investigation is complete and vehicles are removed. TRAFFIC ON WEST CHESTER PIKE IN THIS AREA WILL BE IMPACTED THROUGH THE EVENING RUSH HOUR.

Posted by Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police on Monday, March 19, 2018

Good Samaritans pulled a driver from his burning car after it flipped over.

The individual had been trapped underneath his vehicle that was on fire. School faculty members were able to use numerous fire extinguishers to keep the fire from spreading until the driver could be extricated from beneath the vehicle.

Dash Cam Video Shows Good Samaritans Rescuing Driver From Burning Car

On Tuesday, police arrested the driver, Andrew Tichy.

Andrew Tichy
Credit: CBS3

Investigators found he was traveling 100 mph in a 55 mph zone on West Chester Pike.

He is charged with risking catastrophe and other crimes.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.