What Investigators Say Happened Before the Deadly Carson Hill Road Collision

 A routine afternoon on a Clearfield County road ended in a collision that claimed two lives and led to criminal charges against a New Jersey driver. Anthony M. Sones, 34, and Miranda S. Wormuth, 30, both of Hyde, died after their motorcycle was struck head-on in Brady Township, leaving families to confront a devastating loss while investigators examined how the crash unfolded and what preceded the impact.

The fatal collision happened around 4:46 p.m. Wednesday, August 12, near 332 Carson Hill Road, according to Pennsylvania State Police. Investigators said Bernadette Ann Cobb, 55, of Brick, New Jersey, was traveling east on Carson Hill Road in a 2021 Nissan Rogue when the SUV crossed into the westbound lane and collided with a 2013 Harley-Davidson Wide Glide carrying Sones and Wormuth. The force of the impact turned an ordinary stretch of roadway into the scene of a fatal investigation, leaving two families grieving and prompting a detailed police response.

Both motorcycle occupants suffered fatal injuries in the crash, according to authorities. Police reported that Sones, who was operating the motorcycle, was wearing a helmet improperly, while Wormuth was not wearing safety equipment at the time of the collision. Those details are part of the official account as investigators work to establish the full circumstances, while the families of the two victims face the painful reality of losing loved ones in an instant and begin navigating the days that followed.

Cobb and her passenger, 47-year-old David M. Guerra of Linden, New Jersey, were not injured. State police said both occupants of the SUV were wearing lap-and-shoulder seat belts, while Sones and Wormuth suffered injuries that proved fatal after the head-on impact. The differing outcomes underscore the severity of the crash and the sudden nature of the tragedy that unfolded on Carson Hill Road that afternoon, as emergency personnel and investigators worked at the scene.

Investigators and court records provide a striking detail about what allegedly happened moments before the collision. Cobb reportedly told authorities that a bug flew into the SUV, distracting her; police allege she tried to swat the insect away and then veered across the roadway into the motorcycle's path. Authorities have not indicated that the alleged distraction was the only factor being considered, leaving the broader investigation to determine what contributed to the deadly encounter and whether additional circumstances played a role.

The aftermath quickly moved from a crash investigation to a criminal case. Pennsylvania State Police arrested Cobb in DuBois on Wednesday, and court records show she faces two counts of felony homicide by vehicle while under the influence, two counts of felony aggravated assault by vehicle, two counts of recklessly endangering another person, and two counts of involuntary manslaughter. She also faces several summary charges involving reckless and careless driving and roadway violations, according to the court records.

Cobb appeared for a preliminary arraignment before Magisterial District Judge James Brian Glass at 8 a.m. Thursday, August 13, according to the court docket. Bail was set at $100,000, and a professional bondsman later posted a $100,000 surety bond on her behalf. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Friday, August 21, before Magisterial District Judge David S. Meholick, where the case is expected to move into its next stage as prosecutors and defense attorneys address the allegations.

For the families of Anthony Sones and Miranda Wormuth, the legal proceedings cannot undo the loss created on Carson Hill Road. As the case advances, their names remain at the center of a tragedy that began with a sudden collision and forever changed two families, friends, and everyone left to remember them with grief, unanswered questions, and memories that will endure.