Community rallies behind The Looney Bin after crash

WEIRS BEACH — No criminal charges are expected to be filed after a collision on Endicott Street North Sunday afternoon propelled a car into The Looney Bin Bar and Grill, according to Police Chief Matt Canfield. Meanwhile, the community is stepping up to help the business reopen its door as quickly as possible.

A car attempting to turn left out of the Funspot parking lot was waved across by one of the drivers in the line of cars that had formed in the turning lane to enter the arcade. The car was struck by a small SUV traveling southbound, redirecting it toward and into the restaurant. Fourteen people inside were transported to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.

The first driver is a resident of Franklin, and the second, driving the car with Massachusetts plates that hit the restaurant, is from Boulder, Colorado, according to Canfield, and neither is likely to receive a citation.

At busy intersections, Canfield told The Daily Sun, yielding one’s right of way and waving another car through can confuse them, increasing the danger of entering and crossing traffic. He also emphasized that the driver who waved the first car through was not at fault for the collision. 

“It’s a courtesy, for sure,” Canfield said. “But it’s usually beneficial to just take that right of way, even when you’re trying to be courteous.” 

For drivers faced with poor-visibility turns and traffic, Canfield also noted, “if need be, it’s always easier to take the right turn” and turn around farther down the road.

As police conclude the investigation into the crash, local restaurateurs and their patrons are rallying behind the biker bar, which has a year-round regular crowd.

“It’s been overwhelming in the most positive way,” said Michelle Watson, who owns The Looney Bin. “I’m always someone who wants to make sure everyone is OK ... I never thought I’d be on the receiving end of so much.”

A GoFundMe effort with a $10,000 fundraising goal to support the bar, its owners and staff had received over $13,000 from 95 donors by Thursday afternoon. See it at gofundme.com/f/lets-help-the-looney-bin.

In a Facebook post Tuesday, the Paugus Bay Pub — the new inhabitant of the former Christmas Island Steakhouse that opened its newly renovated doors in June — invited other local restaurants to help organize a bar crawl fundraiser. 

The response was swift and enthusiastic, according to pub owner Kevin Hayhurst. 

“There’s almost too many interested in participating,” he said. 

Hayhurst knows firsthand the “cult following” The Looney Bin has among locals and visitors alike. 

“Practically everyone who comes into my place has a Looney Bin sweatshirt on,” he said. “We’re all in this together. ... I just thought, ‘Why wouldn’t I support them?’”

Planning is still in its early stages, but Hayhurst told The Daily Sun he hopes for as many as 10 stops, live music and shuttle services in a show of inter-restaurant solidarity that would raise money for the Weirs staple and its employees as The Looney Bin works toward repairs.  

“I know people say, ‘Don’t they have insurance?’ or ‘Why do they need this if they have insurance?’” Hayhurst said. “But insurance isn’t going to pay them right away, their mortgage, their bills.” 

In social media comments under the Paugus Bay Pub’s rallying post, The Looney Bin page responded to a commenter’s question about insurance coverage.

“Yes, there is insurance. But it takes a very long time to navigate,” the response read. “Especially given the situation with multiple vehicles and injuries. All this help will immediately go directly to our staff so they can pay their bills and support their families. Until we figure out what’s going to happen, we want them to be OK. This has been traumatic enough for them.”

Speaking with The Daily Sun, Watson described the emotional toll the crash is taking on her staff, many of whom have worked there for years. 

“Seeing what is basically a lot of their second home be demolished ... they’re having a tough time,” she said. 

The level of uncertainty about next steps adds to the stress, she continued.

“We don’t know yet whether we’ll have to replace one wall or three walls or start over completely,” she said. “Not having those answers is really hard right now.”

In a Facebook live video, Watson toured the bar in its current state: much of its plumbing, including its entire bathroom, its major appliances and the bar itself had been compromised or wiped out in the collision.

Community support, Watson told The Daily Sun, “is what’s keeping us positive right now.”