A Williamsbridge man who was convicted of manslaughter and assault following a horrific crash which occurred on the Grand Concourse in 2018, has been sentenced to four to ten-years in prison.

 

David Fennell, 49, of East 218th Street, was behind the wheel of a 2009 Mercedes-Benz ML 350, as he sped along the Grand Concourse at East 175th Street at 11 a.m. on May 18, 2018. Officials said Fennell sideswiped several vehicles and smashed into a wooden fence surrounding a tree, before slamming into a 2006 Chevy Malibu.

 

The Chevy Malibu, driven by Daisy Bonilla, 51, was pushed into a crosswalk striking Barbara Hendricks, 74, who had been crossing the intersection with a walker at the time.

Hendricks suffered a traumatic brain injury, a broken pelvis and other broken bones and was intubated and placed in a long term care facility. Photos of the aftermath of the accident showed her walker lying on the street, destroyed. Hendricks later died as a result of her injuries on March 25, 2020. Bonilla also suffered a brain injury, lacerations, bruises and back pain, but survived.

 

Fennell was arrested after the crash, and was arrested once again on July 28, 2020, when charges were upgraded to manslaughter, after Hendricks’ death.

 

After Fennell’s sentencing, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark issued a statement, saying, “The defendant was driving [at] at least 62 miles an hour in a 25 mile-per-hour zone and struck multiple cars. He rear-ended one of the vehicles and propelled it into a 74-year-old woman who was crossing the street.”

Clark added, “The driver was injured, and the pedestrian died of her injuries two years later. Reckless drivers will be held accountable for their actions. I hope this sentence gives the victims and their families a measure of healing from this trauma.”

 

Fennell was found guilty after a bench trial on July 16. On Tuesday, September 22, Bronx Supreme Court justice, Steven Barrett, sentenced Fennell to three to nine years for the second-degree manslaughter charge in Hendricks’ death, and one year for a third-degree assault charge for the injuries Bonilla suffered.