He opened his eyes after months in a coma — just long enough to speak the truth.

Twenty-two-year-old Daniel Waterman from Syracuse, New York, was in love, expecting a baby, and building a future. But everything changed one February night in Florida when the car he shared with his pregnant girlfriend, Leigha Mumby, swerved off the highway and slammed into a tree.

Daniel suffered devastating spinal and head injuries and fell into a coma. Leigha survived and later gave birth to their daughter. But when Daniel briefly regained consciousness, he made a shocking claim — that Leigha had crashed the car on purpose. “She said, ‘You’ll get what you deserve,’ and drove straight into the tree,” he reportedly told investigators.

For months, Daniel fought to recover, even starting physical therapy. “He never gave up,” his mother said through tears. But pneumonia struck before he could walk again — and on October 8th, his fight ended.

Leigha Mumby now faces vehicular homicide charges, while Daniel’s family fights for custody of the baby girl he never got to hold. “We’ll raise her to know who her dad was,” his grandfather said. “He’ll live through her.”

Sometimes love leaves behind more than heartbreak — it leaves a story the world can’t forget.