TikTok distracted – Hristo Iliev was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in prison after a three-vehicle crash killed 20-month-old Finley Baker. Police say Iliev was distracted by TikTok and Apple TV moments before impact, leading to Baker’s death two days later and serious injuri
A courtroom sentence landed on Thursday, June 11, but the impact of that March 2025 crash still echoes for a family that has kept a toddler’s memory alive online.
Lincolnshire police said 20-month-old Finley Baker—identified by name—was killed in a three-vehicle collision on a Lincolnshire road on March 19, 2025. The child died two days later from injuries sustained in the crash.
More than a year after the fatal wreck. driver Hristo Iliev. 32. was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in prison on Thursday. June 11. The sentencing followed his guilty plea to one charge of causing death by dangerous driving and one charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. according to the police department’s statement.
Police said the moments leading up to the collision were captured through the electronic devices involved in the investigation. They said Iliev was on his phone uploading and downloading videos on TikTok and Apple TV as he approached the moments before the crash.
The car Finley was in was also carrying his 8-year-old sibling and their mother, Chloe Baker. Police said that after Iliev’s vehicle ran into their car, the family’s vehicle then crashed into a car in front of them. They said Finley was properly placed and restrained in the backseat of the car.
Chloe Baker suffered injuries in the collision and seriously hurt her shoulder. Police said her injuries were severe enough that she eventually underwent major reconstructive surgery. It is not currently clear if Chloe’s other child or the driver of the third vehicle were injured in the collision.
Detective Sergeant James Perring, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, placed the blame squarely on distraction. He said in the statement that the collision was due to Iliev’s dangerous driving when he “selfishly paid no attention to his driving as he watched videos on his devices.” Perring said those actions cost a young toddler his life and seriously injured another “destroying lives in a way which can never be undone.”.
Perring added that “the importance of concentration and not being distracted cannot be overstated,” calling the crash “wholly preventable.” He said he felt “nothing but disappointment” for the way Iliev had “so pointlessly destroyed lives,” and urged anyone considering the same behavior not to.
Finley’s parents have continued to press for justice since the crash, documenting their journey for justice against Iliev, who was originally from Boston. After the sentencing, their ongoing efforts remained tied to the memory of a child who was taken too soon.
To keep Finley’s story visible, the victim’s family created fundraisers shared via social media. They raised money that they donated to the Lincolnshire Air Ambulance.
Finley Baker Hristo Iliev TikTok crash Apple TV dangerous driving Lincolnshire police Serious Collision Investigation Unit Chloe Baker Lincolnshire Air Ambulance sentencing