A Seminole County woman is now facing criminal charges nearly a year after a multi-vehicle crash on State Road 46 near Geneva that killed a passenger and injured three others. Authorities have identified the suspect as 37-year-old Amanda Babcock of Geneva, who is accused of causing the June 7, 2025, collision.
Arrest and charges
According to ClickOrlando, Babcock was taken into custody on Thursday and is charged with four counts: vehicular homicide, reckless driving causing serious injury, and two counts of reckless driving with damage to a person. Court records cited in the report say a judge ordered her to wear a GPS monitor as a condition of release and barred her from contacting three people named in filings. She has since posted bond, and an arraignment is scheduled for July 14. The arrest report alleges she had been driving recklessly and cutting into oncoming traffic on State Road 46 when her vehicle struck a van and an SUV.
Crash in June 2025
As reported at the time by FOX 35 Orlando, the collision happened on the morning of June 7, 2025, when a pickup attempting to pass another vehicle hit a van and then collided head-on with an SUV. First responders said the pickup caught fire, and State Road 46 at Osceola Road was shut down for hours while the Florida Highway Patrol and Seminole County Fire Department investigated. One passenger in the SUV was pronounced dead at the scene, and three others were hospitalized.
Victim identified
The man who died was later identified in an obituary as Edward G. Rathman, 68, a Cincinnati resident who was visiting family in Florida, according to Hodapp Funeral Home. The obituary lists June 7, 2025, as the date of death and includes funeral arrangements in Cincinnati.
What the charges mean
Under Florida law, vehicular homicide is a felony and can carry more serious penalties in certain circumstances, while reckless driving that results in serious bodily injury is treated as a felony-level offense. The statutes spell out the elements prosecutors must prove and the range of possible punishments for those crimes. See Florida Statutes §782.071 and Florida Statutes §316.192 for details on vehicular homicide and reckless-driving offenses.
What’s next
Babcock’s arraignment is scheduled for July 14, and the case will move forward in Seminole County’s court system. Court filings and the arraignment are expected to shed more light on what evidence prosecutors plan to present and what defenses, if any, the defendant intends to pursue.
