OCEAN CITY — More details emerged this week in the Sunday evening accident at the base of the Route 50 bridge that included an overturned vehicle and shut down all westbound traffic on the span for nearly an hour.
Around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Ocean City Police responded to a reported accident in the westbound lanes at the foot of the Route 50 bridge involving an overturned vehicle. The investigation revealed the driver, identified as Carly Middleton, 24, of Princess Anne, failed to negotiate the turn from Philadelphia Ave. onto Route 50 and struck the median at a relatively low speed.
The vehicle became elevated atop one of the wooden safety posts before toppling over onto its roof. Ocean City emergency services responded immediately because an ambulance was waiting at the traffic light at N. Division Street heading eastbound, but both Middleton and her unidentified passenger refused treatment at the scene.
Middleton was subsequently charged with driving vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, driving while impaired by alcohol, negligent driving vehicle in careless and imprudent manner endangering property, life and person, reckless driving vehicle in wanton and willful disregard for safety of persons and property and driver failure to obey properly placed traffic control device instructions.
The westbound lanes of the Route 50 bridge were closed for nearly an hour during the investigation, snarling traffic in and around the span on an otherwise busy Sunday evening in July.