A 1-year-old girl was killed when a speeding driver who was watching TikTok on his phone plowed into slow-moving traffic, crushing the child's car seat in a multi-vehicle crash, authorities said.
Police said 32-year-old Hristo Iliev was using his phone to access TikTok and other apps in the minutes before his car slammed into the back of two vehicles queuing at a roundabout near Sleaford, eastern England, in March 2025.
An examination of his phone showed he repeatedly unlocked the device and watched at least six TikTok videos in the seven minutes before impact, including one that was still playing at the moment of the crash, according to People.
Investigators said traffic ahead was moving slowly and had almost come to a stop when Iliev, traveling at speed, failed to brake in time.
The collision crushed the rear of a stationary car carrying 20‑month‑old Finley Baker, who was strapped into a child seat in the back.
Emergency responders airlifted Finley to the hospital, but he died from his injuries two days later, police and prosecutors told the court. Another adult in the traffic queue suffered serious injuries when Iliev's vehicle ricocheted into a second car, according to Lincolnshire Police.
At Lincoln Crown Court on Jun. 11, 2026, Iliev pleaded guilty to one count of causing death by dangerous driving and one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, Yahoo News reported.
A judge sentenced him to 11 years and 3 months in prison and imposed a driving ban to begin after his release. The court heard Iliev had no mechanical problems with his Volkswagen Passat and that road and weather conditions were good, leaving distraction by his phone as the primary cause of the crash.
Prosecutors said Iliev showed a "persistent pattern" of using his phone throughout the journey, including accessing TikTok and the Apple TV app while behind the wheel.
Data analysis showed he handled and unlocked his phone multiple times, despite approaching a known traffic bottleneck where vehicles routinely slow and queue.
Lincolnshire Police said there was no sign he attempted emergency braking before impact, indicating he failed to react as traffic ahead slowed in front of the roundabout, as per the BBC.
