Schools

Car Crashes into Willow Grove School

Kindergarten remains open following early morning accident.

A Buffalo Grove school sustained damage early Monday morning when a resident crashed his car into .

Police received a call just before 1 a.m. Dec. 13 from the driver, who reported that he had driven into the front of the school, Cmdr. Steve Husak said. The passenger side of the car made impact with the school, he said.

"The car was kind of half in and half out of the school," Husak said. "A bunch of windows and two walls were damaged in the crash."

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Husak said an unknown medical condition appears to have caused the driver to drive off the road and deliver the "glancing blow" to the school. Drugs and alcohol did not play a role, he said. No serious injuries were reported.

The driver, David Kopka, 52, of the 300 block of Chateau Drive, Buffalo Grove, was charged with failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.

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Workers were on the scene Monday morning to board up the missing windows and gaping hole in the school's brick wall. Yellow tape roped off the front of the school.

Classes remain in session today, as the damage was limited to an office work room, Superintendent Julie Schmidt said. The district posted a notice about the crash on its website this morning to notify parents that the school would be open. Administrators directed students into the building through other doors this morning.

A structural engineer is assessing the damage for the preparation of repair estimates, Schmidt said.


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