A bus carrying persons with disabilities struck the historic Robert Parker Coffin Bridge in Long Grove on Friday, marking at least the 70th time the bridge has been hit.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Long Grove Fire Protection District responded around 12:05 p.m. Friday to the area of Robert Parker Coffin Road and Old McHenry Road in Long Grove for a report of a vehicle crash.
A 911 caller reported a bus carrying special needs students had struck the Robert Parker Coffin Bridge.
First responders arrived and confirmed there were no injuries to anyone on the bus.
The bus belongs to SEASPAR — the South East Association for Special Parks and Recreation, which allows those with disabilities residing in the DuPage County area to participate in its programs.
Surveillance video from Neumann’s Cigars and More captured the white bus traveling eastbound on Robert Parker Coffin Road past Schaeffer Road over the bridge at 11:57 a.m.
An air conditioning unit on top of the bus scraped the bridge canopy, damaging the bus.
The driver continued driving initially and stopped near Robert Parker Coffin Road and Old McHenry Road to wait for the sheriff’s office and fire department.
The incident marks at least the 70th time the bridge has been struck by a vehicle since 2018.
Last month, a white pickup truck pulling a large trailer struck the bridge and left the scene on October 9.
Neumann’s Cigars and More said their nighttime security service alerted them to the hit. The bridge was last struck during another nighttime incident.
The bridge was previously hit in June when a box truck’s roof struck the bridge canopy. The damage to the roof of the vehicle was clearly noticeable, witnesses said.
The bridge was also hit on May 20 when a box 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 out.
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 attempted to lower the air pressure in the tires but it was unsuccessful and a tow truck was called to remove the truck.
The bridge was blocked for approximately three hours during the May 20 incident.
Before that, a white Toys for Tots box truck struck the bridge on December 20 but did not get 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, 2024.
Surveillance video showed the truck’s oversized load hitting the top of the bridge before stopping and immediately reversing to free itself.
A camera at Neumann’s Cigars and More showed a white box truck traveling westbound on Robert Parker Coffin Road approaching Schaeffer Road when the truck’s aerial lift hit the bridge, which rocked the truck’s back end, on October 16, 2024.
“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.
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.