A box truck became stuck after it hit the historic Robert Parker Coffin Bridge in Long Grove Monday evening, marking over 65 times that the bridge has been hit.
The incident happened just after 5:25 p.m. on Monday and was caught on surveillance video.
The video, captured by Neumann’s Cigars and More, showed a white box truck traveling westbound on Robert Parker Coffin Road approaching Schaeffer Road.
The truck, belonging to Northwest Trucks Inc. in Palatine, attempted to drive onto the Robert Parker Coffin Bridge, at which point it abruptly struck the bridge canopy.
The truck became wedged under the bridge canopy and the driver attempted to reverse the truck.
A Lake County sheriff’s squad car arrived with its lights activated and a deputy used his intercom to tell the driver, “Stop, it’s not moving.”
The driver initially tried lowering the air in the tires but that was unsuccessful and a tow truck was called to remove the truck.
The bridge was blocked for approximately three hours during the incident.
Neumann’s Cigars and More said it was at least the 66th time the bridge had been struck.
On December 19, a white Toys for Tots box truck struck the bridge but was not stuck and was able to reverse.
A small truck carrying an oversized, vertically stacked load struck the top girders of the bridge on October 30.
Surveillance video showed the truck’s oversized load hitting the top of the bridge before stopping and immediately reversing to free itself.
On October 16, the cigar lounge’s camera captured a truck’s aerial lift hitting the bridge, which rocked the truck’s back end.
Also on September 26, video showed the top load of a van hitting the bridge.
“There are numerous signs informing drivers of the height restriction and signs prohibiting trucks and buses from using the bridge,” Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli has said previously.
In July, a large box truck became wedged under the bridge and had to have a tow truck remove it.
It was the second time in just three days that the bridge was struck.
At least two other vehicles were also involved in hitting the bridge in June. In those cases, both oversized trucks struck the bridge.
Both incidents were relatively minor but a tow truck was needed to remove one of the trucks, which became wedged under the bridge.
The bridge, formerly known as the Long Grove Covered Bridge, was renamed in September 2022 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. It has been struck well over 60 times by oversized vehicles since 2018.
In June 2023, a party bus became the 50th vehicle to hit the historic bridge after the vehicle scraped the bridge’s canopy, causing the bus’ roof air conditioning unit to rip off.
The bus did not remain at the scene despite its 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.