#daniel bending

[patrickkenneally]

The Drunk Driving Case of Daniel Bending

An experienced attorney, Patrick Kenneally holds a juris doctor from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. For the past nine years, he has handled a range of cases as a states attorney in McHenry County, Illinois. In 2012, Patrick Kenneally prosecuted the drunk driving case of Marengo resident Daniel Bending. Authorities arrested Daniel Bending on April 18, 2008, shortly after he struck Leonard Anderson, a 77-year old truck driver who was crossing Route 20 on foot. Although he initially survived the collision, Mr. Anderson later passed away from the injuries that he suffered in the accident. Mr. Bending submitted to a blood test approximately 2.5 hours after the accident, and this test revealed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.081. In addition to this damning evidence, the prosecution showed the jury a video of Mr. Bending in the back of a squad car admitting that he was buzzed. The prosecution argued that Mr. Anderson was definitely killed as a result of Mr. Bending’s careless and selfish actions. The jury deliberated for approximately 3.5 hours before finding Mr. Bending guilty.                            

[patrickkenneally]

Daniel Bending Convicted of Drunk Driving in McHenry County, Illinois

Having earned his JD from Washington University, Patrick Kenneally is an assistant states attorney for McHenry County, Illinois. Previously a law clerk for the Circuit Court of Cook County, Chicago, assistant states attorney Patrick Kenneally has prosecuted many high-profile cases, including the death-by-drunk-driving case of Daniel Bending. Daniel Bending was found guilty of driving under the influence when he hit 77-year-old Leonard Anderson on Route 20, on April 20, 2008. On that fateful night, Anderson had gone into a local store for coffee. After leaving the store, at about 8:45 p.m., on Route 20, he was hit by Bending’s Chevrolet. He sustained serious injuries and died three weeks later. At the trial, assistant states attorney Kenneally brought forward experts who testified that two and a half hours after the crash, Bending’s blood alcohol content (BAC) was .081. Expert prosecution witnesses further testified that because of alcohol absorption and expulsion, when Bending hit Anderson, his BAC was likely .117, way above the .08 legal limit. Counsel for the defense contended that Anderson did not die from injuries sustained from the crash but rather from a heart attack brought about by alcohol withdrawal. The prosecution refuted this claim, emphatically stating that even if that was the case, the reason the deceased was in hospital, unable to grab a drink, was because Bending had decided to drink and drive that fateful night. The jury found Bending guilty of driving while drunk. He was convicted on that finding.