For the second time in a week, a box truck has hit the Robert Parker Coffin Bridge in Long Grove. It is the 42nd time the bridge has been hit in recent years.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that deputies responded around 2:15 p.m. Monday to Robert Parker Coffin Road and Schaeffer Road in Long Grove.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived and found an 11-foot U-Haul box truck wedged under the historic bridge.
The driver of the truck, Hui Xu, 58, of Morton Grove, was traveling westbound on Robert Parker Coffin Road.
He disregarded the footage signage as well as the no trucks signage and drove under the bridge, Covelli said.
The bridge remained blocked for about an hour while the tires were deflated to free the stuck truck.
There did not appear to be structural damage but the village is having their structural engineer verify, Covelli said.
Xu was cited for disobeying a traffic control device and given a date to appear in branch court.
Covelli said this brings the count to 42 times the bridge has been hit since its reopening in 2020.
Last Monday, a 15-foot white Chevrolet box truck hit the bridge around 1 p.m.
The truck was traveling eastbound on Robert Parker Coffin Road from Route 53 when it struck the bridge’s canopy.
The bridge suffered visible damage. The truck’s windshield was shattered, the cab was pushed downwards and the middle section of the truck was also damaged.
The truck reversed and parked on Schaeffer Road following the incident.
Covelli said it is possible the driver of the truck, Aiden C. Matiasek, 18, of Lake Villa, did not stop at the stop sign before the bridge.
Matiasek violated the bridge height restriction that is posted, Covelli said.
A sheriff’s deputy issued him a citation for disobeying a traffic control sign for ignoring the height restriction.
There appeared to be minor damage to the bridge. A structural engineer responded to the scene.
The Chatter Box of Long Grove, which is located down the street from the bridge, told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that the driver was uninjured.
Witnesses reported the driver said he thought his truck could clear the bridge.
Multiple signs are present near the bridge warning that no trucks, buses, or vehicles over five tons are allowed on the bridge and showing the height clearance.
The bridge was formerly named the Long Grove Covered Bridge. It was renamed in late September to the Robert Parker Coffin Bridge, named after Robert Parker Coffin, who designed the bridge cover.
In July, a U-Haul truck hit the bridge and became stuck under its canopy.
It took tow truck crews at least an hour and a half to free the vehicle during that incident.
The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In August 2020, the bridge was damaged by a school bus less than 24 hours after it had reopened following two years of repairs from a prior box truck crash.
That prior box truck crash caused substantial damage and nearly destroyed the bridge.