CLayton &8212; The Clayton Post Office got an unwanted delivery Tuesday afternoon in the form of a Ford Crown Victoria through its front door.

&8220;I was behind the counter alone when I heard it hit,&8221; Postmaster Beverly Chalmers said. &8220;I thought it couldn&8217;t be real; you just don&8217;t expect someone to drive a car through the front door.&8221;

The car of Barbara Hilliard of Clayton came through the glass front door around 2:30 p.m. and traveled through the mailboxes, vending machine and outgoing mailbox. The car continued into the packaging room, taking out a work table and an incoming Christmas gift before finally coming to a halt.

Chalmers was the only person in the office when the accident occurred; neither she nor Hillard was injured.

Hilliard said she was pulling into the post office when things went wrong.

&8220;I had two jugs of water on the seat and as I started to stop, they fell and went onto the accelerator,&8221; she said.

The force caused the car to accelerate sharply into the building. Skidmarks inside the building indicate it took several seconds for Hilliard to dislodge the jug.

Concordia Parish Sheriff&8217;s Deputy Kenneth Tucker said Hillard faced two tickets for careless operation of a motor vehicle and driving without a license.

Hilliard&8217;s insurance company will be responsible for paying for the damages.

The accident closed the office for the rest of the day as contractors worked to secure the building for the night.

Chalmers said the post office would be open for business today.

Aside from the one package that sustained damage, she said the rest of the packages were fine.

Chalmers assured the children of Clayton that their line of communication to the North Pole had not been compromised. &8220;I had already sent out all of the letters to Santa,&8221; she said. &8220;Santa&8217;s still coming to Clayton.&8221;

This is the second time the Clayton Post Office has received a drive-in customer: five years ago a woman who thought her car was in reverse drove into the wall to the right of the entrance.

Chalmers said she didn&8217;t feel the building was cursed, but that she would re-read a letter she received earlier in the day.

&8220;I got a letter saying I was eligible for retirement,&8221; Chalmers, 45, said with a laugh. &8220;This makes me want to sit back and look at it a little bit.&8221;