Crash Brought On By Phone Gambler Led To Premature Birth

26 February 2026
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George TorrEast Midlands


A male who was gambling on his phone when he crashed into a vehicle, causing a pregnant woman to provide birth too soon, has been imprisoned.


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


Police stated the motorist of the Nissan suffered whiplash and the pregnant guest was rushed into medical facility with a fractured hips. Two other children in the same car suffered injuries while the household's animal dog was seriously hurt and had to go through emergency surgical treatment.


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


After the crash the pregnant lady needed to undergo an emergency Caesarean area, leaving her in extensive look after a number of weeks, when she suffered 2 collapsed lungs.


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


Derbyshire Police said Bentley, of Meadow Way, Derby, had actually been taking a trip home from Blackpool when the accident occurred 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 said.


He was seen previously drifting into the turf verge of the eastbound carriageway in between junctions 6 and 5, in addition to swerving in between lanes.


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


'Missed early minutes'


In a victim impact statement, the mother stated: "I needed an emergency situation Caesarean due to my infant being in distress. I found this extremely distressing and didn't want my infant 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 a baby you anticipate to be in a bubble with your partner and newborn but we were separated throughout 3 wards in the medical facility and lost out on so much in those early minutes.


"No mom or dad should need to go through this.


"The next three weeks we invested 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 screen of driving by Bentley, who invested most of his journey distracted by being on his phone.


"I know that the physical, mental and psychological trauma from this occurrence continues to effect on this household, who were simply heading out their day when this completely preventable crash occurred."


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