Anthony Sones and Miranda Wormuth had been together for 14 years. Police say a driver’s split-second reaction to a bug ended both of their lives.
If you’ve ever had a bee fly through your car window, you may know the reaction. I certainly do.
You duck. You swat. Maybe scream and yell.
For a second, your brain seems to forget that you’re driving a several-thousand-pound piece of machinery because there is suddenly a tiny flying intruder six inches from your face.
Usually, it ends with your heart racing and a feeling of disbelief that a tiny insect could elicit such an intense response.
On August 12, police say one of those incredibly ordinary moments ended with two people dead.
Anthony Sones, 34, and Miranda Wormuth, 30, were riding a Harley-Davidson in Brady Township, Pennsylvania, shortly before 5 p.m. when an SUV crossed into their lane and struck their motorcycle head-on.
Anthony and Miranda both died.
According to Pennsylvania State Police, the woman driving the SUV, 55-year-old Bernadette Cobb of Brick, New Jersey, told investigators that a bug had flown through an open window of her vehicle.
Police say Cobb told them she “freaked out,” put her head down and attempted to swat the bug away.
In those few seconds, investigators say, the SUV moved into the opposing lane.
According to reporting based on the probable-cause affidavit, Cobb’s passenger tried to help steer the vehicle back into the correct lane.
There wasn’t enough time.
The SUV collided head-on with Anthony and Miranda’s motorcycle near the crest of a hill. Police said the location of the collision prevented the couple from being able to avoid the approaching SUV.
Investigators reported no evidence that Cobb was impaired at the time of the crash.
Cobb now faces a number of charges including two counts of homicide by vehicle and two counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Those charges are allegations, and Cobb has not been convicted. Her attorney has characterized what happened as a tragic accident and said she will be vigorously defended.
But whatever happens in a courtroom cannot change what happened on that road.
Anthony and Miranda are gone and Cobb’s life will never be the same.
According to a fundraiser created by Miranda’s family, she and Anthony were soulmates who had been together for 14 years.
Anthony was also part of the local racing community. Hidden Valley Speedway remembered him as a competitor in its Four-Cylinder division and said he would be missed by fellow drivers, friends and family.
For many people, being startled by a bug is painfully easy to understand.
And that’s what makes what happened to Anthony and Miranda so awful and so frightening. Many of us can recognize the instinct behind Cobb’s split-second reaction—even if the consequences here were unimaginable
And although we can’t change what happened on that road, I’ve found a few ways we can help the people left behind—or perhaps help prevent another tragedy like this one.
We can help Miranda’s family.
Heather Hoover created a GoFundMe following the crash to help pay for Miranda’s cremation services. According to the fundraiser, any money remaining after those expenses will be put toward a scholarship in Miranda’s honor.
We can also help by promoting awareness.
Forever Friends Motorcycle Awareness is a nonprofit dedicated to educating both riders and drivers about motorcycle awareness.
The organization encourages drivers to put down distractions, pay attention and look more than once before pulling out or changing lanes.
Forever Friends also says it has used funds to assist families of fallen and injured riders, support local volunteer fire and EMS departments, provide scholarships and educate young drivers about motorcycle awareness.
Forever Friends is not being presented here as affiliated with Anthony or Miranda’s family. I’m including the organization because its mission addresses something this tragedy makes impossible to ignore.
A distraction doesn’t have to last a minute.
Sometimes it doesn’t even have to last ten seconds.
So maybe the good deed today is donating a few dollars to Miranda’s family.
Maybe it’s supporting motorcycle-awareness education.
Or maybe it costs absolutely nothing.
The next time something falls on the floor of your car, your phone goes off, your kid needs something in the backseat—or a bug comes flying through your window—try to remember Anthony and Miranda.
Keep your eyes on the road.
Those few seconds might matter more than you could ever imagine.
Sources
Crash and police investigation:
WJAC — PSP: Driver charged in deadly Brady Twp. crash claims bug flew into her SUV
Additional reporting / court records:
Patch — Brick Woman Swatting At Bug Hits Motorcycle Head-On, Killing 2, Authorities, Reports Say
Anthony and Miranda / community reaction:
KYW Newsradio — Police: Driver ‘freaked out’ by bug in car, veers head-on into motorcycle
Family fundraiser:
GoFundMe — Support for Miranda and Anthony’s Families
Motorcycle-awareness organization:
Forever Friends Motorcycle Awareness — Official website