What to Know
Just before 5 p.m. on March 19, 2025, 32-year-old Hristo Iliev caused a car accident in England that changed a family’s life forever. As Iliev watched TikTok videos behind the wheel of his Volkswagen Passat, he did not notice traffic slowing in front of him. He rear-ended Chloe Baker’s Kia Ceed, and she, in turn, hit an Audi A5. The force of the injury caused serious injuries to both Baker and her two sons. Emergency crews rushed the victims to an area hospital for treatment.
Sadly, 20-month-old Finley Baker succumbed to his injuries two days later. On June 6, 2026, a court sentenced Iliev to more than a decade in prison.
Iliev accessed multiple entertainment apps before the accident occurred.
According to a news release from the Lincolnshire Police, the accident occurred near a roundabout. Following the crash, police arrested Iliev and collected evidence from his vehicle, including two cellphones. Investigators took blood samples and found no drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of the accident. Forensic evidence found in the seven minutes leading up to the crash, one of Iliev’s phones accessed both TikTok and the Apple TV app.
“Evidence of video viewing, uploading, and downloading was evident. Crucially, in the moments before the collision occurred, the examination found that the TikTok application was in use and a video was playing,” per a news release.
Iliev was 100% responsible for the accident.
Chloe Baker reportedly suffered a serious shoulder injury in the accident that required reconstructive surgery. Her 8-year-old son was also taken to the hospital, but the extent of his injuries is unknown. Finley Baker was properly restrained in a rear-facing car seat, according to police. He died from serious injuries sustained in the crash just two days after arriving at the hospital. Investigators determined that if Iliev had not hit Chloe Baker’s car, there would have been no chain reaction.
Iliev will spend the next 11 years in prison.
Iliev pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and serious injury by dangerous driving in Lincoln Crown Court. The court sentenced him to 11 years and three months in prison. He’s lost driving privileges for more than ten years and will have to retake his driver’s license test before ever driving again. He reportedly had prior driving penalties for speeding and for using his phone while driving.
Nothing will bring Finley Baker back.
Serious Collision Investigation Unit Detective Sergeant James Perring reiterated the importance of staying alert and putting down the phone while driving.
This collision was due to the dangerous driving of Iliev when he selfishly paid no attention to his driving as he watched videos on his devices. Those actions cost a young toddler his life and seriously injured another, destroying lives in a way which can never be undone,” Perring shared in a statement.
“The importance of concentration and not being distracted cannot be overstated. This was a wholly preventable collision, and I feel nothing but disappointment for the way he has so pointlessly destroyed lives. I would implore anybody thinking of behaving in the same way never to do so,” he added.
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