Driver who killed eight-month-old baby in pram jailed for four years
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A driver who fatally struck an eight-month-old baby in her pushchair outside a hospital has been jailed for four years. Bridget Curtis, 71, had taken her adult daughter for an outpatient appointment at Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, in her white BMW 520d car on the morning of June 21 2023.
Swansea Crown Court heard how Curtis’ daughter was struggling to find her handbag in the rear of the vehicle, with Curtis unlocking the door and turning round to assist her. As she did so, Curtis pressed the accelerator of the automatic car – which had been left running and was not in park mode – “right to the ground”, the judge said.
The vehicle propelled forward, reaching speeds of more than 29mph as it travelled just 28 metres – mounting the kerb of a grass seating area and hitting the pushchair of Mabli Cariad Hall, eight months. Mabli, who had just said a final goodbye to her paternal grandmother Betty Hall who was receiving end-of-life care at the hospital, sustained fatal head injuries and died in hospital on June 25.
Curtis, who had a clean driving licence, was arrested and later pleaded guilty to a charge of causing death by dangerous driving. Judge Geraint Walters disqualified Curtis from driving for eight years and sentenced her to four years in prison, describing her actions as “grossly reckless”.
