Lake County Sheriff’s deputies responded about 4:25 p.m. Friday April 9, 2021 to another crash into the covered bridge on Robert Parker Coffin Road south of downtown Long Grove. Including today’s crash, the bridge has been struck 14 times.
ABC 7 Chicago’s Chopper 7HD and at least two other TV news station helicopters were over the scene after the U-Haul box truck hauling a U-Haul trailer crashed into the south side of the historic bridge. The driver of the U-Haul truck was traveling northeastbound on Robert Parker Coffin Road (toward downtown Long Grove) when the top of the box truck hit the bridge.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office reports the driver of the U-Haul is from Nashville, and was following his GPS, but did not see the warnings regarding the 8’6” height restriction. The top of the U-Haul box struck the bottom of the covered bridge roof, and the box truck overhang above the truck cab was crushed. The wood “skin” on the steel structure was also damaged.
The driver was not injured, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. The male driver, age 73, was cited for disobeying a traffic control device, and for driving a truck exceeding the restricted maximum height on the covered bridge. There are multiple signs ahead of the bridge warning drivers about the height restriction.
Village officials from Long Grove were on the scene inspecting the bridge Friday evening and supervising the removal of the U-Haul box truck.
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The Lake County Sheriff’s Office reports there have 14 similar crashes since the bridge reopened August 2020. The bridge now has a sturdier steel frame. The bridge is apparently less likely to collapse, and more likely to cause serious damage to any vehicle that passes while violating the height restriction. However, one witness at the scene said the older bridge clearance was slightly higher, and now with the lower clearance there have been more crashes.
The one-lane bridge over Buffalo Creek was still closed at about 6:15 p.m. Friday.
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