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”.
The judge told Curtis: “At about midday on June 21 2023, the lives of the Hall family were changed forever. Loving parents, siblings and a wider extended family suffered the devastation of their lives.
“That is because that day, they suffered that which every parent dreads, the loss of a much cherished child, Mabli, just eight months old.
“Her life was taken from her senselessly and indeed needlessly as a result of your actions.”
The judge described how Mabli’s parents had been left “broken and destroyed” by Mabli’s death, which had led to the loss of both of their careers.
“The hurt eats away at them every day,” he said.
Dashcam footage from another vehicle at the hospital showed Curtis’ car appearing to lift off the ground before colliding with Mabli’s family and her pushchair, then coming to a stop when it hit a tree.
Speaking about the footage, the judge said: “The sight of that vehicle taking off before impact is something that words cannot describe. It has to be seen to be believed.”
He added that Curtis had not braked or taken avoidant action after her car began moving.
Prosecuting, Craig Jones said that inspections on the vehicle after the tragedy could not find any mechanical defects.
Data from the car showed that the throttle was applied for about 4.5 seconds prior to the collision, Mr Jones told the court. The vehicle travelled 28 metres with a top speed of 29.2mph.
“Shortly before colliding with the tree, the defendant’s vehicle struck the pram in which Mabli was positioned,” he said.
“She was thrown from it and came into contact with the ground a little distance away. The scene was one of horror and panic.”
Mabli was taken to the hospital’s accident and emergency department before being airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, then transferred to Bristol Children’s Hospital.
She died there, in the arms of her parents Rob and Gwen Hall, in the early hours of June 25.
Mr and Mrs Hall stood together in the witness box of the courtroom as they gave harrowing statements about Mabli’s death and the impact of their loss.
Mr Hall, who had been placing Mabli back into her pushchair at the time of the collision, described how Curtis had “literally ripped my baby out of my arms”.
“I remember Mabli smiling at me, making her cute noises as I was about to take her for a walk,” Mr Hall said.
Both Mr Hall and his brother also sustained injuries from Curtis’ vehicle.
He described how his family had spent the past two-and-a-half weeks at the hospital as his mother, Betty Hall, was receiving palliative care.
“The actions of Bridget Curtis denied me the opportunity to be at my mother’s passing,” he said.
“I was forced to choose between her and my daughter. I had to say goodbye on Facetime with her asking me to be there.”
Mabli was the youngest of six siblings, who visited her in hospital in the days before her death.
“The last goodbyes for Mabli’s four sisters and brother were heartbreaking for them and soul destroying for me and my wife,” Mr Hall said.
Mabli’s funeral was held the day before her grandmother’s funeral, the court heard.
Mrs Hall described how she had taken Mabli to say goodbye to her “Nanny”, then her husband took their baby girl for a walk while she remained with her mother-in-law.
“Within 15 minutes, I was running to the A&E department,” she said.
“She hadn’t crawled yet. She had said ‘Mama’ for the first time only the day before. We had so much planned with her. It was nowhere near the time for her to be taken away from us. She was my baby. My eight month old baby.”
Mrs Hall told how Mabli had been sitting in her pushchair, away from the road, playing with her family, when she was fatally injured.
“All that we have been through was avoidable,” she said.
“I finished my maternity leave without my baby. In four seconds, I went from a Mum who took care of my Mabli all day and night, to not having her at all.”
Mrs Hall said Mabli would not go to school, to marry, or to have her own family as this had been “stolen from her by Bridget Curtis”.
“She was so bright, so beautiful, so full of love and life,” she told the court.
“She was my best friend, my shadow, my second skin. All she ever gave and all she ever had was love.”
Representing Curtis, John Dye said his client was a mother-of-four and a grandmother-of-10 who had led a “blameless, law abiding life”.
He told the court Curtis had written a letter to the Hall family, apologising for her actions, and described her as “absolutely devastated”.
Speaking after the case, Michael Cray, a senior Crown Prosecutor in CPS Cymru-Wales, said: “Bridget Curtis tried to look for a handbag on the rear seat whilst still controlling the vehicle’s pedals.
“As a result, she lost control of the car injuring bystanders and causing the death of a baby.
“Curtis’ actions had fatal consequences and serve as a reminder to all motorists of the serious responsibilities that come with being a driver.”
In a statement issued by Dyfed-Powys Police, Mabli’s family said: “If anything is to be learned from the unnecessary loss of Mabli’s life, it is that everyone who sits behind the wheel of a vehicle needs to realise that they are responsible for their own actions and the wellbeing of others.”