Derby driver jailed after gambling causes devastating A50 crash

Content warning: This article contains distressing details and footage.

A Derby man who spent much of a motorway journey gambling on his phone has been jailed after causing a crash on the A50 and leaving a young family with life-changing injuries.

Jack Bentley, 30, was travelling from Blackpool back to Derby on the evening of April 6, 2025, when he became distracted by online betting sites on his mobile. Around 6.45pm local time, as vehicles slowed and queued ahead of him, Bentley failed to react. His Ford Focus careered into the back of a stationary Nissan X-Trail.

The impact was so severe that the Nissan was shunted forward into the vehicle in front.

Inside the car was a pregnant woman and her family. She suffered a fractured pelvis and was taken straight to hospital. Doctors carried out an emergency caesarean section after her baby went into distress, and the child was born prematurely. The newborn then spent weeks in intensive care suffering with collapsed lungs.

Two children who were also in the Nissan were hurt in the crash. The family’s dog was badly injured and required emergency surgery.

In a victim impact statement published by Derbyshire Police, the mother described the ordeal in her own words. “I needed an emergency caesarean due to my baby being in distress… No mother or father should have to go through this,” she said, as she recounted being separated from her baby across different hospital wards and the trauma of watching her newborn struggle for strength inside an incubator.

Phone data later examined by investigators showed Bentley had been accessing gambling websites for much of the two-hour drive and was not focused on the road. He was arrested at the scene. He later admitted two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving when he appeared at Derby Crown Court.

On February 11, a judge sentenced him to two years and four months in prison. He was also banned from driving for three years and two months.

A family left to rebuild after Derby man caused crash during gambling

Police say the collision never needed to happen. PC Richard Morris, who led the investigation, said: “This was an appalling display of driving by Bentley, who spent the majority of his journey distracted by being on his phone… The fact his actions caused a woman to give birth prematurely and left a tiny baby spending the first few weeks of their life in intensive care is nothing short of despicable.

“I know that the physical, mental and emotional trauma from this incident continues to impact on this family, who were simply going out their day when this wholly avoidable collision occurred.

“My thoughts remain with them as they continue their recovery and I hope that knowing that Bentley is behind bars provides them with some form of comfort as they look ahead to the future.”

Featured image: Derbyshire Police

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