One previous instance of a truck becoming wedged under the cover of Long Grove’s iconic bridge occurred in July 2021, which did cause cosmetic damage to the structure at the time.
Daily Herald file photo/2021
Once again, a box truck became stuck under Long Grove’s iconic covered bridge early Monday morning, with the vehicle taking the brunt of the damage.
“The vast majority of the times this happens, it damages the vehicle,” Long Grove Assistant Village Manager Dana McCarthy said. “The bridge is made of heavy duty steel.”
After the collision at about 7 a.m., it was more a case of deflating the truck’s tires to free it and get it on its way than addressing any structural damage, he added.
“There’s really nothing,” McCarthy said. “It’s more an issue for the driver.”
Though the bridge has certainly been hit well over 50 times since it reopened in 2020 after an extensive renovation, the village itself doesn’t keep count of the instances.
Apart from drivers not paying attention to the warning signs, GPS systems designed for passenger vehicles have been blamed for some previous occurrences between trucks and the bridge. McCarthy said he had no knowledge of the cause of Monday’s collision.
Lake County sheriff’s officials were unavailable for comment Wednesday, so it’s unclear if any citations were issued.