Seven Injured In Route 50 Accident

WEST OCEAN CITY — Seven people were taken to the hospital including a 14-year-old boy, who was flown to Johns Hopkins Hospital, following a rear-end accident involving an alleged drunk driver with four children in her vehicle on Route 50 in West Ocean City on Saturday.

Around 4:35 p.m. on Saturday, Maryland State Police troopers responded to a reported motor vehicle collision on westbound Route 50 at Inlet Isle Lane just west of the bridge. The preliminary investigation revealed a 2009 Subaru Forester driven by Lisa Marts, 49, of Darlington, Md., was stopped for traffic in the fast lane on the busy Saturday afternoon. A 2006 Subaru Outback operated by Renata Anne Lovitt, 30, of Berlin, was also traveling in the fast lane and failed to stop, striking the Subaru Forester from behind.

Upon contact with Lovitt, MSP troopers detected a strong odor of alcoholic beverage on her breath and person. Lovitt was administered standard field sobriety tests which she did not pass to the troopers’ satisfaction. Lovitt was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and was transported to the MSP Berlin barrack where she refused to submit to a breath test. She was later taken before a District Court Commissioner and was released on a $25,000 unsecured bond.

Four passengers in Lovitt’s vehicle, including three nine-year-old girls and one 10-year-old girl were taken to Atlantic General Hospital for precautionary reasons. The driver of the Subaru Forester and the right rear passenger, a 41-year-old male, were also taken to AGH by ambulance. The left rear passenger, a 14-year-old boy, was flown to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore with undisclosed injuries. The accident snarled traffic on a busy Saturday afternoon and closed the westbound lanes of the Route 50 bridge for over an hour.

About The Author: Shawn Soper

Alternative Text

Shawn Soper has been with The Dispatch since 2000. He began as a staff writer covering various local government beats and general stories. His current positions include managing editor and sports editor. Growing up in Baltimore before moving to Ocean City full time three decades ago, Soper graduated from Loch Raven High School in 1981 and from Towson University in 1985 with degrees in mass communications with a journalism concentration and history.