A man will spend more than 10 years in prison after killing a 20-month-old baby in a car crash in New England while watching TikTok videos.
Lincolnshire Police said in a statement that the child, identified as Finley Baker, was injured in a three-vehicle crash on a Lincolnshire road on March 19, 2025. Baker died two days later from his injuries.
More than one year after the fatal accident, the driver Hristo Iliev was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison on Thursday, June 11. The sentence came after he pleaded guilty to one count of causing death by dangerous driving and one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, according to a statement from the police department.
Following the accident, an investigation into the matter revealed that Iliev, 32, was on his phone uploading and downloading videos from TikTok and Apple TV when the collision occurred.
Police checked his electronics, and found that he had been watching a video on TikTok shortly before his car hit the car in front of him, which was about to enter a roundabout full of slow-moving vehicles.
Baker was in the car with his 8-year-old sibling and their mother. After Iliev got into their car, the family’s car hit the car in front of them.
Police say Baker was restrained and restrained in the back seat of the car.
Mother of a little boy, Chloe Bakerhe was also injured and seriously injured his shoulder during the accident, according to the police. Chloe’s injuries were so bad that she eventually had to undergo major surgery to revive her.
It is currently unclear whether Chloe’s other child or the driver of the third car were injured in the accident.
“This collision was due to Iliev’s dangerous driving when he selfishly did not pay attention to his driving while watching videos on his devices. Those actions cost a young child his life and seriously injured another, destroying people’s lives in a way that cannot be changed,” said Detective Sergeant. James Perring the Serious Collision Investigation Unit in a statement.
Perring continued, “The importance of concentration and non-distraction cannot be overemphasized. This was a collision that could have been completely prevented, and I feel nothing but dismay at the way he needlessly destroyed lives. I would urge anyone thinking of behaving in the same way to never do so.”
Finley’s parents have kept his memory alive following the crash and have written about their legal journey against Iliev, who is from Boston.
The family of the deceased have created fundraisers shared on social media to honor him, where they have collected the money they have donated to the Lincolnshire Air Ambulance.
