A bus became the 50th vehicle to hit the historic bridge in Long Grove after the bus scrapped the bridge’s canopy, causing the bus’ roof air conditioning unit to rip off.
The incident involved a bus from the company M&M Buses and occurred Saturday afternoon.
The bus was traveling eastbound when it struck the Robert Parker Coffin Bridge, located at Robert Parker Coffin Road and Schaeffer Road in Long Grove.
The bus did not remain at the scene despite the vehicle’s roof air conditioning unit being ripped off and falling onto the roadway.
A Lake County sheriff’s deputy stopped the bus a quarter-mile away in front of The Chatter Box of Long Grove.
The bridge has been struck at least 50 times now.
The collision comes approximately a week after a box truck and a van struck the same bridge in separate incidents.
Both of those crashes were relatively minor, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
Long Grove Village Manager Greg Jackson told the Daily Herald that both drivers were cited.
Jackson said the facade of the wooden bridge was punctured during one of the collisions.
The bridge was last previously hit on April 15. Covelli said.
In March, an Amazon truck struck the Robert Parker Coffin Bridge and was stuck under it.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived and spoke to the driver, a 24-year-old man.
The man said he thought his truck would meet the height clearance, Covelli said.
A towing agency responded and removed the truck from the bridge. The roadway was closed for about an hour.
There was no structural damage to the bridge from the impact.
The driver was cited for disobeying a traffic control device and driving a prohibited vehicle over the bridge.
“There are numerous signs informing drivers of the height restriction and signs prohibiting trucks and busses from using the bridge,” Covelli said.
In September, a 15-foot white Chevrolet box truck hit the bridge.
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, which caused the bridge to be closed for several days.
The bridge was formerly named the Long Grove Covered Bridge.
It was renamed in September to the Robert Parker Coffin Bridge after Robert Parker Coffin, who designed the bridge cover.
The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.