A 53-year-old floor manager at the Lighthouse Point Bar & Grille at Lake Sumter Landing died after her vehicle plunged into Lake Panasoffkee in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day.
Karen Martin had been at the wheel of a 2010 Hyundai Elantra at 2:30 a.m. Monday traveling westbound on County Road 514 when she drove onto a paved boat ramp and then into the lake, according to an accident report from the Florida Highway Patrol.
She was transported to Leesburg Regional Medical Center where she died of injuries suffered in the accident.
The trooper who filed the report noted that Martin had not been wearing a seatbelt. The report also indicated the accident was not alcohol related.
Before joining the staff at the Lighthouse, she worked as general manager at Hemingway’s at Havana Country Club, also in The Villages.
She was a native of Mount Clemons, Mich. She attended L’Anse Creuse High School and later Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Mich.
