Louisville restaurant under investigation after deadly DUI crash
Metro Alcohol Beverage Control is taking a closer look at a restaurant following a deadly crash in Smoketown.
The May 14 crash left 19-year-old Ayanna Wilbanks dead, her sister injured, and the driver, 23-year-old Dasharay Ben'e, charged with vehicular homicide.
Court documents say Ben'e told detectives she had one margarita, though police said her blood alcohol level was two times Kentucky's legal limit.
Witnesses are now sharing what they saw before the crash.
"They gave them a big ole tower, set it on the table, and then they drunk it in like 15, 20 minutes," said Antonio Boyd.
The alcohol tower is advertised on the menu at Veronica's Mexican Restaurant on Poplar Level Road in Newburg.
Boyd said he saw the women at the restaurant, visibly intoxicated and stumbling, and recalled trying to help one of them.
"I seen her on the ground like, 'I'm drunk'. I picked her up and was like, 'You OK?' She was like, 'Yeah, I'm cool, it's my birthday, we wasted,'" he said. "But you can tell she was kind of young. So, if she looked that young, why didn't they ID her?"
That woman was Wilbanks.
Boyd raised concerns about underage drinking and potential overserving of alcohol in this situation.
A spokesperson from Metro Alcoholic Beverage Control told WLKY they are looking into the case.
"There is an open and ongoing investigation, and we can't provide any further comment at this time," Brandon Bowden said in a statement.
Veronica's liquor license for all three of its locations remains active, and the restaurant’s attorney said they are cooperating with the investigation.
Having seen the young women earlier that day, Boyd expressed heartbreak over the tragedy, believing it could have been prevented.
"They definitely need to be held accountable for it because it's getting out of hand for real," he said. "I definitely would have done a little bit more if I knew the whole situation and knew she was underage. I thought they were good and obviously they wasn't."
Experts weighed in on what people should do if they encounter a possible impaired driver.
"Don't mind your business, whether that's call the police, say, 'Hey, this is what this person looks like, the car that they're about to get into and the license plate. Please go get them,'" said Alex Otte, regional executive director for Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Otte, who is a victim of impaired driving, emphasized the importance of planning ahead to avoid dangerous situations.
"Whether that's Lyft or Uber or the bus or a friend or a family member, plan ahead for how you're going to get home safely so that you don't have to live with regret or worse, lose your life," she said.
MADD launched its Safe Summer Campaign to prevent impaired driving and encourage teen safety during summer holidays. More information can be found here.
Ben'e posted a $10,000 bond and is due back in court on May 26.