A fence coming into downtown Jim Thorpe that protects pedestrians from falling to the train tracks below was damaged early Tuesday morning.

Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein said at the end of the county Railroad Commission meeting on Tuesday that the fence, which the county recently repaired along Route 209, was struck by a vehicle, and approximately 25 feet of fencing as well as a utility pole were damaged in the crash.

“Fortunately (the vehicle) did not drop onto the tracks (below), because it would have been about a 20-foot drop onto the tracks,” he said.

Nothstein added that the county is working to get the damaged portion of fence replaced hopefully this week.

If the cost to repair the fence is higher than the county’s $1,000 deductible, the county will put a claim in to its insurance company.

Jim Thorpe police released information on the crash.

They said that at 12:47 a.m., officers were dispatched to Route 209, just north of the Route 903 bridge for a disabled vehicle.

Upon arrival, police found a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica with severe front-end damage.

Officers also discovered that the driver, a 29-year-old Breinigsville man, had struck a utility pole head-on just south of the bridge, severing the pole and damaging the chain link fence. The driver was not named in the release.

Police said the driver displayed signs of impairment and was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of a controlled substance.

Police also found 19 grams of marijuana inside the vehicle.

Charges are pending test results.