A young man from Florida, who was expecting his first child, briefly regained consciousness from a coma to accuse his girlfriend of intentionally causing a car crash that left him severely injured, according to law enforcement officials. Daniel Waterman, originally from New York, alleged that his girlfriend, Leigha Mumby, was responsible for the accident that occurred on Interstate 95 in Flagler County, Florida, during a heated argument on the night of the Super Bowl in February.
Court documents reveal that Waterman, 22, claimed Mumby, 24, was driving the car and said, “I don’t care what happens. You’ll get what you deserve,” before the vehicle crashed into a tree. The impact resulted in Waterman sustaining serious injuries that led to a coma, as reported by the victim’s mother to syracuse.com.
Waterman, a native of the Syracuse area, regained enough consciousness in May to communicate with investigators via a whiteboard. He alleged that his girlfriend was the cause of the crash, as stated in an arrest affidavit obtained by People. The argument that led to the crash reportedly started after Mumby discovered she was pregnant and Waterman received a text message from a woman in New York.
Waterman’s mother, Heather, clarified that her son was merely texting a friend who was a Philadelphia Eagles fan, while he was a Kansas City Chiefs supporter. The two teams were playing against each other in the Super Bowl that night. According to court documents, Mumby began driving recklessly, resulting in the car crashing into a tree.
Mumby, who was also severely injured in the crash, claimed she didn’t know what caused the accident. She survived the crash and has since given birth to her child. Waterman’s condition improved enough for him to be transferred from Florida to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse in July for continued recovery. However, he succumbed to pneumonia on October 8, as reported by Syracuse.com.
Heather Waterman praised her son’s resilience, telling the outlet, “He never gave up. This whole entire time, he literally never gave up.” Mumby was initially charged with reckless driving causing serious bodily injury and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in July. Following Waterman’s death, she was additionally charged with vehicular homicide, as reported by People.
Waterman’s family is now focused on gaining custody of his child. Heather Waterman has pledged to fight a legal battle to establish Waterman’s paternity and bring the child to New York. “We’ll do whatever we can do to bring her to us,” she told syracuse.com. “He wanted her raised in New York with his family.”