A New Jersey woman is facing serious charges after police say she “freaked out” over a bug that flew into her car, causing her to veer into oncoming traffic and crash into a motorcycle carrying two people.
Bernadette Cobb, 55, of Brick, was driving east on a two-lane road in Luthersburg, Pennsylvania, around 4:45 p.m. on Aug. 12 when an insect allegedly flew through her open window.
According to a police affidavit, Cobb told investigators that she panicked when she saw the bug and tried to swat it away.
She allegedly “put her head down by accident” while trying to get rid of the insect, police said.
As Cobb was distracted, authorities say her vehicle began drifting into the opposite lane.
Her passenger reportedly tried to grab the steering wheel and correct the car’s path, but it was too late.
The vehicle crashed into a 2013 Harley-Davidson motorcycle traveling in the oncoming lane, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
The motorcycle’s driver, 34-year-old Anthony Sones, and his passenger, 30-year-old Miranda Wormuth, were both killed at the scene.
A GoFundMe created by Wormuth’s family said the couple had been together for 14 years.
Cobb was arrested at the crash scene and charged with multiple offenses, including homicide and involuntary manslaughter, according to NJ.com.
She later posted $100,000 bail.
Cobb’s attorney, Brian Manchester, has described the deadly collision as a “tragic accident.”
Manchester also criticized the timing of Cobb’s arrest, saying she was placed in handcuffs before an accident reconstruction team had fully examined the scene.
“We will defend her vigorously,” Manchester told NJ.com.
The crash remains under investigation.
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