Crash Brought On By Phone Gambler Led To Premature Birth

26 February 2026
ShareSave


George TorrEast Midlands


A male who was betting on his phone when he crashed into a vehicle, triggering a pregnant woman to offer birth prematurely, has actually been jailed.


Jack Bentley hit a fixed Nissan X-Trail queuing in on the A50 in Hatton, Derbyshire, on 6 April.


Police said the motorist of the Nissan suffered whiplash and the pregnant traveler was rushed into medical facility with a fractured hips. Two other kids in the same car suffered injuries while the family's family pet canine was seriously hurt and needed to go through emergency surgical treatment.


Bentley, 30, confessed 2 counts of causing serious injury by harmful driving and was imprisoned for 28 months at Derby Crown Court and banned from driving for 38 months.


After the crash the pregnant female needed to go through an emergency Caesarean section, leaving her early infant in intensive look after a variety of weeks, when she suffered 2 collapsed lungs.


The baby later made a recovery and was able to go home.


Derbyshire Police said Bentley, of Meadow Way, Derby, had been taking a trip home from Blackpool when the crash occurred at 18:45 BST.


A motorist in the left-hand lane recorded the footage on her dashcam, which was utilized as evidence.


Bentley, driving in the right-hand lane, did not see the fixed traffic and crashed without changing his speed, cops stated.


He was seen previously veering into the turf edge of the eastbound carriageway in between junctions 6 and 5, along with swerving in between lanes.


Bentley was detained at the scene. Analysis of his phone information following the crash showed he had been utilizing his phone while driving, visiting online gambling sites, the force stated.


'Missed early moments'


In a victim effect statement, the mom said: "I required an emergency Caesarean due to my baby remaining in distress. I found this very terrible and didn't desire my baby to be born like that which early.


"My child was born without skin-to-skin contact and me and my partner needed to wait to see her.


"When you have a baby you expect to be in a bubble with your partner and newborn child however we were separated throughout 3 wards in the hospital and missed out on a lot in those early moments.


"No mother or father must have to go through this.


"The next 3 weeks we spent in health center getting our infant strong enough to come home."


Following sentencing on 11 February, PC Richard Morris, from Derbyshire Police, said: "This was a terrible display of driving by Bentley, who invested most of his journey sidetracked by being on his phone.


"I understand that the physical, psychological and psychological injury from this incident continues to effect on this family, who were simply going out their day when this completely preventable collision occurred."


Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or through WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.