Covered bridge damaged by bus hit again during TV news report

Aug. 20 (UPI) -- A historic covered bridge in Illinois was damaged by a bus just one day after its reopening -- and was struck a second time during the filming of a TV news segment.

The Long Grove Covered Bridge, located in the Chicago suburb Long Grove, had a grand reopening Friday after extensive repairs following damage from a tall box truck in June 2018, and less than 24 hours later it was damaged again by a chartered school bus.

"Her GPS warned her she should not proceeds with the type of vehicle she was driving. The occupants on the bus convinced her to proceed, which she did, and subsequently struck the bridge," Lake County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli told the Lake and McHenry County Scanner.

A WLS-TV crew was interviewing locals about the damage to the bridge Wednesday when another vehicle struck the bridge. The sound of the crash was recorded by the new station's camera.

The vehicle left the scene, but was later identified as a box truck carrying medical supplies. Authorities said they identified the truck driver, who told deputies he had thought the sound of the crash was just his load shifting.

"The driver advised he thought the bridge was a two-lane bridge, and he hugged the right side of the bridge. This caused the top of the box truck to strike the top of the bridge," Covelli said.

Traffic citations are pending against the bus driver and the driver of the box truck, the sheriff's office said.

Village officials said the crashes caused damage to the bridge, but it remains structurally sound and the latest round of repairs are expected to take about a month to complete.

Officials said they are considering installing physical barriers on each side of the bridge to prevent too-tall vehicles from attempting to pass through.