An unincorporated Lake Villa man became the 41st driver to crash into Long Grove’s iconic covered bridge Monday since the bridge reopened on Aug. 14, 2020 after being severely damaged by a truck in 2018.
Lake County sheriff’s police cited the driver of the 15-foot box truck, Aiden C. Matiasek, with disobeying a traffic control sign which included the bridge’s height-restriction warning, according to Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli of the Lake County sheriff’s office.
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The bridge, which just last week was officially dedicated with its new name — the Robert Parker Coffin Bridge — had visible damage to the wooden top of the structure after the accident. The box truck sustained significant damage, Covelli said.
Responding sheriff’s deputies determined Matiasek was traveling eastbound on Robert Parker Coffin Road, from Route 53.
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“Based on the amount of damage on the truck, it’s possible Matiasek did not stop at the stop sign, just prior to the bridge,” Covelli said. “Matiasek proceeded under the bridge, violating the height restriction, and crashed into the top of the bridge.
“There appeared to be minor damage to the bridge,” he said. “However, a structural engineer was requested to ensure the bridge remained structurally sound.”
Village Manager Gregory Jackson said last week that calls to install low overhead bars on each side of the bridge to prevent future accidents are not viable. There is not enough room in front of bridge entrances for service vehicles like local school buses to safely turn around, he said.
The bridge crashes, he said, are caused by “drivers that just pay no attention, take directions off an app, can’t read, for whatever reason, 8 foot, 6 inches and just barrel through underneath that bridge.”
