Crash Triggered By Phone Gambler Led To Premature Birth

26 February 2026
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George TorrEast Midlands


A man who was betting on his phone when he crashed into a car, triggering a pregnant lady to deliver too soon, has been imprisoned.


hit a stationary Nissan X-Trail queuing in traffic on the A50 in Hatton, Derbyshire, on 6 April.


Police said the driver of the Nissan suffered whiplash and the pregnant guest was rushed into health center with a fractured pelvis. Two other children in the same vehicle suffered injuries while the family's animal dog was seriously hurt and needed to go through emergency situation surgery.


Bentley, 30, confessed two counts of triggering serious injury by hazardous driving and was imprisoned for 28 months at Derby Crown Court and prohibited 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 take care of a variety of weeks, when she suffered 2 collapsed lungs.


The baby later made a healing and had the ability to go home.


Derbyshire Police said Bentley, of Meadow Way, Derby, had been travelling home from Blackpool when the crash happened at 18:45 BST.


A driver in the left-hand lane caught the video footage on her dashcam, which was utilized as proof.


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


He was seen earlier veering into the yard brink of the eastbound carriageway in between junctions 6 and 5, as well as swerving between lanes.


Bentley was apprehended at the scene. Analysis of his phone data following the crash showed he had been using his phone while driving, visiting online gaming websites, the force said.


'Missed early moments'


In a victim impact statement, the mother stated: "I required an emergency situation Caesarean due to my infant remaining in distress. I discovered this extremely traumatic and didn't desire my child to be born like that which early.


"My baby 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 but we were separated across three wards in the health center and lost out on a lot in those early moments.


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


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


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


"I understand that the physical, mental and emotional injury from this occurrence continues to influence on this household, who were just heading out their day when this wholly avoidable collision took place."


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