Boyfriend Wakes From Coma and Blames Girlfriend for Deadly Accident

When 22-year-old Daniel Waterman slipped into a coma after a devastating car crash, his family clung to the hope that he would recover. For eight long months, they waited for a miracle. Against all odds, he woke up. But what he revealed after regaining consciousness sent shockwaves through both his family and the investigators working on his case. Before dying, Daniel accused his pregnant girlfriend of deliberately causing the crash that destroyed his life.

What began as a night of arguments between young lovers on a Florida highway spiraled into a story of rage, betrayal, and tragedy. And now, the world is left to piece together what really happened in those final, chaotic moments before impact.

A Drive That Turned Into a Nightmare

On the night of February 9, Daniel Waterman and his girlfriend, 24-year-old Leigha Mumby, were driving along Interstate 95 in Flagler County, Florida. The two had been arguing after Mumby discovered she was pregnant. According to court documents, the argument escalated when Daniel received a text message from a woman back home in New York. What started as jealousy quickly turned to fury.

As tension filled the car, Mumby allegedly began driving erratically. Daniel later told police that she looked at him with cold anger and said, “I don’t care what happens. You’ll get what you deserve.” Moments later, the car veered off the road and slammed into a tree at nearly 90 miles per hour. The impact crushed the vehicle, leaving both of them with catastrophic injuries.

The wreckage was horrific. First responders later said it was a miracle either of them survived. The car’s front end had folded completely inward, trapping both Daniel and Mumby. It took emergency crews over 40 minutes to cut them free using hydraulic tools. The aftermath of that night would leave scars not only on their bodies but on the hearts of two families forever changed.

The Silent Months of Recovery

Daniel was placed in a medically induced coma to stabilize his condition. His injuries were severe: a broken neck, shattered collarbones, multiple fractures in both legs, dislocated hips, and extensive internal damage. Doctors at a Florida trauma center worked around the clock to keep him alive.

His family, hundreds of miles away in New York, could do nothing but wait. They flew back and forth to Florida, living out of hotels near the hospital. His mother, Heather Waterman, said she refused to leave his side for more than a few hours at a time. “He was my baby,” she told reporters. “I held his hand every day. I whispered to him that he had to come back to us.”

For weeks, Daniel’s condition remained critical. Machines kept him breathing. Tubes and wires surrounded his bed. The doctors warned that if he woke up, his recovery would be long and uncertain. Yet his family never gave up. They believed that Daniel, full of life and determination, would find a way.

The Moment Everything Changed

In May, months after the crash, Daniel began to stir. His fingers twitched. His eyes opened. Slowly, he began to regain fragments of memory. It was the moment his family had prayed for, but it would bring with it a terrible truth.

Investigators from the Florida Highway Patrol visited the hospital, hoping to get his version of events. Because he could not speak easily, Daniel used a whiteboard to write his answers. What he revealed left the room silent. He claimed that the crash was not an accident but an intentional act. According to his written statement, Leigha Mumby had purposely driven the car into the tree after their argument.

He recalled how she sped up rather than slowed down, ignoring his pleas for her to stop. He described her expression, a mix of anger and despair. And he remembered her final words before the crash: “I don’t care what happens. You’ll get what you deserve.”

Crash investigators later confirmed that his story aligned with physical evidence. The car showed no signs of braking before impact. The data recorder indicated acceleration right before the crash. “This was not an accident,” said attorney John Hager, representing the Waterman family. “Daniel’s testimony gave voice to the evidence. Everything he said matched what the investigators found.”

From Hope to Heartbreak

By July, Daniel’s condition had stabilized enough for him to be transferred from Florida to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, New York. There, surrounded by family, he began the long process of rehabilitation. He could communicate in short sentences and even managed a few smiles for his loved ones. He told his mother he couldn’t wait to meet his baby girl. He told his grandfather he wanted to walk again.

But behind those moments of hope were complications. His injuries had left him vulnerable to infections, and months of immobilization had weakened his lungs. Despite his progress, his body was still fragile.

In early October, Daniel contracted pneumonia. Within days, his condition worsened. Doctors tried everything they could, but his body could not fight the infection. On October 8, he passed away peacefully, with his family holding his hands.

His mother described it as losing him twice. “We lost him that night in February, and then again in October. But this time, it was final. This time, there were no more chances.”

The Legal Fallout

After Daniel’s death, prosecutors in Flagler County upgraded Mumby’s charges to vehicular homicide. She was re-arrested but released after posting a $150,000 bond. She continues to maintain her innocence, claiming she has no memory of the crash.

Her defense attorney has argued that the crash was the result of panic and poor judgment, not intent. Yet the prosecution remains firm, pointing to Daniel’s recorded statement and forensic evidence showing acceleration rather than braking. They argue it was an act of rage turned fatal.

If convicted, Mumby faces up to 15 years in prison. The trial is expected to draw national attention, not only because of the bizarre circumstances but also because of the emotional weight surrounding it. She was pregnant with Daniel’s child at the time of the crash. That baby, now several months old, is at the center of a custody battle between Mumby and Daniel’s grieving family.

A Family’s Promise

For the Waterman family, the fight didn’t end with Daniel’s death. They are now determined to gain custody of the baby girl he never got to meet. “We want her to grow up knowing who her father was,” said Michael Gilman, Daniel’s grandfather. “She needs to know that her dad was a good man who fought for her until his last breath.”

The family believes raising the child in New York, surrounded by Daniel’s relatives, would honor his memory. His mother, Heather, has said they are pursuing legal custody pending DNA confirmation of paternity. “That little girl is a piece of my son,” she said. “I won’t rest until she’s safe and knows how much he loved her.”

The family’s GoFundMe page, which originally aimed to cover medical expenses, has since evolved into a memorial and legal fund. It has drawn donations and messages of sympathy from strangers across the country who were moved by Daniel’s story.

The Tragic Pattern of Domestic Disputes

Daniel’s case is part of a larger, troubling trend where domestic arguments spill over into deadly consequences. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, roughly one in four women and one in seven men experience severe physical violence at the hands of a partner. While car crashes are rarely the weapon, the emotional volatility at the heart of such cases often mirrors the same pattern: anger, control, and escalation.

Experts say that the combination of emotional distress and access to a vehicle can create moments of lethal impulsivity. In 2022 alone, over 500 intentional vehicular assaults in the United States were linked to domestic disputes, according to national law enforcement data. These are not just statistics but stories of relationships that transformed into tragedies in the blink of an eye.

The Court of Public Opinion

As the legal process unfolds, public opinion remains sharply divided. Some have expressed sympathy for Mumby, suggesting that her mental state during pregnancy and emotional turmoil may have clouded her judgment. Others view her as a danger who took an innocent life out of spite.

Social media has become a battleground for these perspectives. On forums and comment threads, strangers argue over whether the act was deliberate or a reckless moment of despair. Yet, amid the noise, Daniel’s family has asked for one thing: focus on the victim. “Daniel was real,” his grandfather said. “He was a son, a friend, and soon-to-be a father. We can’t let that be lost in the drama of the case.”

Remembering Daniel

Daniel Waterman was more than the tragic subject of a headline. He grew up in Syracuse, New York, surrounded by a close-knit family. He loved the Kansas City Chiefs, classic cars, and making people laugh. Friends described him as loyal to a fault, someone who would drop everything to help others.

He had dreams of becoming a mechanic and opening his own shop. When he found out he was going to be a father, he told his family he wanted to give his daughter a better life than he had. “He couldn’t wait to be a dad,” his mother said. “He talked about teaching her how to fix cars and taking her to football games.”

Now, that future will never happen. But the family insists his story will not fade. They have started a memorial scholarship in his name, dedicated to helping young people pursue careers in automotive repair and safety education.

The Cost of a Split-Second Decision

The tragedy of Daniel Waterman is one of moments. A moment of anger, a moment of fear, and a moment of devastating consequence. Every year, countless relationships spiral into violence not through years of abuse, but through seconds of fury. The difference between restraint and rage can be the difference between life and death.

Daniel’s family has turned their grief into a message of awareness. They hope that his story serves as a warning about the dangers of unchecked anger and the fragile nature of life itself. He woke long enough to share his truth, and in doing so, he gave others a chance to see how quickly love can turn lethal when emotions go unrestrained.

As his grandfather put it, they will make sure Daniel’s daughter grows up knowing her father as more than a victim of tragedy. She will know him as a fighter, a man who faced unimaginable pain but found the strength to speak one final truth before saying goodbye.

And for the rest of us, his story stands as a sobering reminder: words said in anger can echo far beyond the moment, and one decision behind the wheel can destroy everything in its path.