Crash Triggered By Phone Gambler Led To Premature Birth

26 February 2026
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George TorrEast Midlands


A male who was betting on his phone when he crashed into a vehicle, triggering a pregnant female to provide birth too soon, has been jailed.


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


Police said the motorist of the Nissan suffered whiplash and the pregnant passenger was hurried into healthcare facility with a fractured pelvis. Two other children in the same car suffered injuries while the household's pet canine was seriously hurt and had to go through emergency surgical treatment.


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


After the crash the pregnant woman had to undergo an emergency situation Caesarean section, leaving her early child in intensive take care of a variety of weeks, when she suffered two collapsed lungs.


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


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


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


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


He was seen earlier veering into the lawn verge of the eastbound carriageway between junctions 6 and 5, along with swerving in between lanes.


Bentley was jailed at the scene. of his phone data following the crash showed he had been using his phone while driving, checking out online gambling websites, the force said.


'Missed early minutes'


In a victim effect statement, the mother said: "I needed an emergency situation Caesarean due to my infant being in distress. I found this extremely terrible and didn't desire my baby to be born like that and that early.


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


"When you have an infant you anticipate to be in a bubble with your partner and newborn child however we were separated throughout three wards in the medical facility and lost out on so much in those early minutes.


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


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


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


"I know that the physical, mental and psychological injury from this occurrence continues to influence on this family, who were merely heading out their day when this completely preventable accident occurred."


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