Exeter police: Man dressed as 'Grinch' crashes into Word Barn sign on Christmas

EXETER — A driver in a Grinch costume crashed his car into The Word Barn Christmas night, smashing its sign, mailbox, lights and honey stand.

Exeter police and fire responded to the accident at 66 Newfields Road at 5:50 p.m. on Dec. 25 and discovered a silver Honda CRV on the front lawn. The driver’s door was open, and the operator was in a full Grinch costume with his feet out of the vehicle on the ground, police said.

The driver, identified as a 31-year-old Exeter man, was uninjured, and police said the crash remains under investigation.

Police said the driver was traveling south on Newfields Road when he became distracted near a curve in the road. The vehicle, police said, veered off the roadway, striking The Word Barn’s mailbox, sign, and several lights along the path in the front yard.

Police said the vehicle sustained significant front-end damage along with a smashed windshield and broken rear driver’s side window.

The driver, who denied any injury at the scene, was evaluated by Exeter fire and rescue personnel and transported to Exeter Hospital.

Police Chief Stephan Poulin called the accident a “unique situation.”

“Officers never expected to arrive at the scene to find that an operator was wearing a Grinch suit behind the wheel, but it was Christmas night so not entirely outside the realm of possibility,” he said. “Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt.”

The vehicle was towed from the scene by New England Truck Center.

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Word Barn owner: 'It's just an amazing, surreal story'

Word Barn owner Ben Anderson said he was making Christmas dinner when he heard a “loud bang noise.” He said he didn’t realize that a car had struck the property until he viewed his security cameras.

“I went back in the (security footage) history, and I could see a car barreling down the road," he said. "You can tell it didn’t make the corner, and then I heard the crash. We ran outside to see if we could provide any assistance, and we found the vehicle way up on our lawn and traveled probably 400 to 500 feet up the lawn.”

But that wasn’t the biggest surprise, Anderson said.

“I ran to the car and found the driver’s door opened, and there was the gentleman in a full Grinch outfit sitting there talking to somebody on the phone,” he recalled. “It turns out that he was totally fine and incoherent and a little bit in a state of shock.”

Anderson said the driver wasn’t insured, according to police. He estimates the damages from the accident to reach nearly $10,000.

The sign, he said, was brand new. He said the new sign replaced one that was struck last December in a car accident.

“That was a drinking and driving accident,” he said. “We hired a local sign maker to make a much more robust sign that we positioned back up off the road. We thought that would be nice and safe… and that wasn’t the case, it’s completely in pieces.”

Anderson said Newfields Road, where The Word Barn is located, has a “tricky curve” and drivers have to pay attention.

“These are all driver errors,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it's the road, but it’s a corner. And if you’re not paying attention – especially in snowy conditions – it’s easy for people to be caught off guard with the corner.”

Anderson said he is still figuring out his next step to repair the damage. He said he may set up a GoFundMe or tackle the cost of the damages on his own.

“The more the time passes, and we look back at it, it's just an amazing, surreal story,” he said. “I suppose on Christmas Day, the Grinch arrives.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Exeter police: 'Grinch' driver crashes into Word Barn sign Christmas