Florida man woke from coma, gave chilling statement about his girlfriend, then died
In a case that has sent shockwaves from the Syracuse suburbs to the Florida coast, the death of 22-year-old Daniel Waterman has transformed a tragic roadway accident into a harrowing investigation of vehicular homicide. Waterman, who spent months fighting for his life following a high-speed collision on Super Bowl Sunday 2025, briefly emerged from a coma to provide a chilling account of his final conscious moments—a testimony that has now placed his girlfriend behind bars on upgraded charges.
The incident unfolded on February 9, 2025, as Waterman and his pregnant girlfriend, 24-year-old Leigha Mumby, traveled along Interstate 95 in Flagler County, Florida. What began as a cross-country drive reportedly dissolved into a volatile domestic dispute just moments before their vehicle careened off the pavement and into a tree.
While Mumby and the couple’s unborn child survived the impact, Waterman was left with catastrophic injuries that kept him in a vegetative state for months. He eventually succumbed to complications from those injuries on October 8, 2025. However, before his passing, a brief window of consciousness allowed him to tell investigators a story that shifted the entire trajectory of the case.
A Message and a Threat
According to court documents cited by People and the New York Post, Waterman regained enough clarity in May 2025 to communicate with authorities. Using a whiteboard to bridge the gap left by his physical trauma, he alleged that the crash was no accident.
Waterman claimed the argument ignited when Mumby revealed her pregnancy, which was quickly followed by Waterman receiving a text message from a woman in New York. While Waterman’s mother, Heather Waterman, later clarified to syracuse.com that the text was a benign exchange between football fans, it allegedly triggered a lethal rage in Mumby.
Waterman recounted that Mumby began driving erratically as her anger boiled over. According to his statement, her final words before the impact were a chilling ultimatum: “I don’t care what happens. You’ll get what you deserve.” Waterman told investigators he desperately tried to escape the vehicle as the driving worsened, but he was unable to exit before the car left the road at high speed.
Upgraded Charges and Legal Fallout
Mumby originally told Florida Highway Patrol investigators that she had no memory of what caused the collision. Based on Waterman’s whiteboard testimony, she was initially arrested in July and charged with reckless driving causing serious bodily injury and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
However, the legal landscape shifted dramatically upon Waterman’s death in October. Prosecutors have since upgraded the charges to vehicular homicide, citing the intentional nature of the actions described in the victim’s dying declaration.
A Family’s Fight for the Future
As the criminal case against Mumby proceeds, the Waterman family has turned their attention to the next generation. Heather Waterman has publicly stated the family’s intent to seek custody of the child born following the crash—a girl they believe is Daniel’s daughter.
“We’ll do whatever we can do to bring her to us,” Heather Waterman told syracuse.com. “He wanted her raised in New York with his family.”
The case remains a haunting reminder of how quickly a domestic dispute can escalate into a fatal encounter. For the Waterman family, the focus remains on honoring Daniel’s final words and ensuring the legacy he left behind is preserved in his home state of New York.
The use of a victim’s “dying declaration” or late-stage testimony often serves as the cornerstone of complex homicide cases. Do you believe the legal system provides enough weight to statements made under such extraordinary circumstances? Share your thoughts in the comments.